


Demigods

by KwanMarkhyuck



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Chiron - Freeform, Demigod Inspired, Demigods, Heroes & Heroines, M/M, Percy Jackson inspired, Rick Riordan Demigod Universe | Riordanverse, Villains
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:14:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27823585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KwanMarkhyuck/pseuds/KwanMarkhyuck
Summary: Choi San is a normal kid, has come from a normal neighbourhood, but his whole life changes when he's forced to go to Camp Half-Blood. A Camp where he finds out he's a Demigod and one of the most powerful ones. A new journey, new friends and a new lover await him. After all, who wouldn't fall in love with the boy that has flowers woven into his hair?
Relationships: Bangchan/OC(Male), Choi Beomgyu/Kang Taehyun, Choi Jongho/Kim Hongjoong, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun, Choi Youngjae/Im Jaebum | JB/Park Jinyoung, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin, Kang Yeosang/Park Seonghwa, Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin, Kunpimook Bhuwakul | BamBam/Kim Yugyeom, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin, Mark Tuan/Jackson Wang
Kudos: 28





	1. Good Things Always Come At A Price

Things have never been easy for my Mother and I: everything seemed to never make sense, like the twisted path of a labyrinth. Always near, but never quite reaching the end. I’d say I’ve come far in my life; just like my Mother did.

See, my Father left before I was born, forcing us into homelessness. We were kicked out of our apartment, living on the streets in the boiling strikes of heat and the cold breezes of Winter. Things aren’t great, now, even though we’ve fought and fought for some place in this world. That’s all we ever seemed to be doing nowadays: fighting — over and over. Yet, the thing pushing us back never seemed to give up and me and my Mother refused to give up too.

“Honey, get your bags and hurry!” My Mother shouted from the bottom step of the stairs and I peaked out of the door, staring down at the vast hall of darkness, my Mother’s face being illuminated. Sparkles danced off her skin and onto the walls. “What are you waiting for? Hurry!” She muttered, hurriedly and I blinked at her registering her words before sprinting to my room. It was early morning, about seven, so we should’ve been getting ready for school and work, but yet, I’m packing my bags? I shoved clothing item after clothing items into two separate bags, zipping them up shut before I ran downstairs, my Mother meeting me half way. Grabbing my arm, she tugged me to the front door.

“Mama, what are you ...” I trailed off, staring at the road ahead. Two boys stood, back to back, fighting off a creature in the middle of the road. I rubbed my eyes. “What the ...” I whispered and Mother’s fingers dug deeper into my skin, tugging me along to a jeep behind where the boys were fighting. The monster turned to sniff at me then opened its jaws and started to laugh.

“Powerful Father, special one.” He murmured and Mother carried on to the jeep, clutching at thin air. I had stopped in the middle of the road, staring at the monster in question, his black eyes burning into mine. He tutted. “You don’t know; do you, Choi San?” He asked and I breathed in deeply before taking a step forward.

“What are you talking about? I don’t have a Father.” I stated and he laughed again like what I said was the hilarious thing he had heard throughout his whole life. Mother was at my side and pulling me along again, her eyes cloudy, but she was pulling me towards the monster. She mumbled something and I glanced up then at the others, who were shouting insults at the monster, their bodies frozen in place.

“Your mortal Mother is no match for the powers of the monsters.” He told me. “The other demigods, however, are slightly stronger. But, you, you are just the perfect treat.” He licked his lips and I grimaced, jerking my arm back and tackling my Mother to the ground just as the monster unhinged his jaw. He spat fire everywhere and I shielded my Mother as she groaned beneath me, clutching her head in pain. I stumbled to my feet, the back of my neck and hairs on my head feeling like they got burned off with the rising temperature of the fire. The two males unfroze from their states and started attacking the monster again. I helped my Mother up and I saw tears running down her face in streams as the screams of agony from the monster filled the air.

“What is it, Mama?” I asked over the noise, making her shake her head and grab my arm once again, pulling me to the car and successfully getting us both inside. There was two others in the car, both at the front and were talking amongst themselves like there was nothing going on outside. One had black inky hair parted in the middle, the curly couplets cascading down his face, bright brown eyes sparkling. The eyes held a lot of intelligence when he spoke and it looked like he actually knew what he was talking about.

The other was unnaturally handsome with soft features, but a sharp jaw: he was the kind of person you would notice anywhere you looked. He had hazel eyes, that were lighter in comparison to the boy next to him, but was just as bright and energetic. He had wavy brown hair, different shades of brown, some light and some dark, evenly spread through the locks sliding down his face in waves. They turned to look at us as we entered and my Mother slammed the door shut. The handsome one raised his eyebrow in question. I was kind of envious: I’ve always wanted to raise just one singular eyebrow, but I can never seem to do it.

“Jongho and Yeonjun not done yet?” He asked and turned to glance at them out the window then sighed. “They seem to be having a little bit of complications. Soobin, go and help them.” Soobin muttered something to himself and climbed out of the car, followed by a scream of pain from the monster. My Mother winced. “Oh, I’m Kang Yeosang by the way!” Yeosang greeted and my Mother smiled back, small and frantic, but it was there.

“I’m Choi Natalie, but you can call me Nat.” She told him and Yeosang smiled at my Mother before we rested into a comfortable silence. Everything was silent for a moment and Yeosang peaked his head out to look at the battle raging outside and grinned. The doors opened and the three previously outside fighting, slid into their seats. A boy with ocean blue hair and green eyes and Soobin were sat in the seats in front of us. While they were there, a muscular boy with short, cropped hazel hair and dark eyes slid in next to Yeosang. Yeosang started up the jeep and started driving away from my house while my Mother glanced at me.

“Sannie, I ~” I ignored her and leaned forward, burying my head into my hands and trying to block out all the excess noise around me. Whatever it was Mother was going to say, I cut her off.

“Whatever it is you’re going to say, I don’t want to hear it right now.” I scowled and my Mother pursed her lips as she reached out to place her hand on my shoulder. I jerked away and slipped as far as possible away from her as I could.

“Please, San, just listen to me ~”

“Why should I? Why should I ~”

“Because it’s about your Father!” She shouted and knowing my Mother, she never shouted; never raised her voice before to me or anyone. This was serious: so with a deep sigh and a scowl, I leant backwards and shot her an impatient look. “You’re Father is different, Sannie, he’s powerful. Sannie, your Father ...” She paused and I saw her forehead crease. “He’s a God: a Greek God.” She told me and I snorted.

“Yeah, pig’s fly.” I muttered and Soobin glanced up at me with a small smile dancing on his lips.

“Pig’s do fly.” He stated and I crossed my arms as my Mother tried to put her hand on my shoulder again in comfort.

“Don’t touch me.” I hissed and she let her hand fall onto the cushion in front of her. Her eyes teared up.

“We’re — you’re going to stay at a place called Camp-Half-Blood.” She explained in a stiff way. I felt a little guilty, but tried not to show it on the features of my face. “Chiron will help you through things. I’m accompanying you to the border, but after that ... I can’t go any further, Sannie. I won’t see you for a long time, honey.” She whispered, quietly. I felt a tear roll down my face. This really seemed to be a goodbye. She was leaving me too? I nodded, silently, and she leaned back against the chair, turning to look out of the window. I saw Yeosang and the guy next to him glance at each other, worriedly, then they turned back to the road ahead.

*-*-*-*-*-*

We climbed out of the car, the chirping of crickets and rustling of leaves being heard everywhere around us. We had driven basically into the wilderness. Did they think we were animals and have to feed on the bugs and leaves of this place? Yeosang lead us to a huge tree with a dragon wrapped around the trunk. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, not believing what was happening in front of me to be real. Yet, no matter how many times or how hard I rubbed at my eyes, it was still there along with a golden fleece. It looked very expensive: made up of pure gold most likely. Real. We walked past that, but my Mother stopped and I saw the tears start rolling down her cheeks.

“This is as far as I can go, Sannie.” She said and I glanced behind my shoulder to see her standing there with her hands out like she wanted a hug. I scoffed and turned back around, forging ahead. She choked on a sob.

“I’m sorry.” Yeosang whispered to her and she nodded, before turning and retreating back the way we had come. No one said anything and I couldn’t blame them and was a tiny bit thankful for that. We finally made it to our final destination. It was a dining pavilion and people were eating, chatting to each other quietly. Yeosang tugged me closer.

“Be careful around anyone that wiggles their eyebrows at you.” He hissed into my ear and I nodded, confused. Then I saw it: the boys raising their eyebrows at me, wiggling them suggestively, but with an air of mischief like they were going to steal my wallet. I didn’t even have any money to give!

“Who’s this?” Someone asked and I turned to see a boy around my age with flowers threaded into his hair walk up to us with a person next to him. Well, centaur really; from the top he was a man with shaggy brown hair curling to his shoulders and bright brown eyes. The bottom half, however, was a white stallion. The boy with blue hair shrugged.

“Don’t know. Won’t tell us who he is; only the Mother told us her name.” He said and the centaur looked at me, eyes criticising me in ways I didn’t think were possible. But, yet he was doing it. I glared right back at him and he chuckled.

“Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, Choi San.” He greeted and I scowled at him.

“Quite the greeting.” I sneered and he just laughed at me in amusement, eyes crinkling around the edges as he smiled, warmly. The boy with different kinds of flowers knitted into his hair, tilted his head at me.

“Is he ... do you know who his godly parent is?” He asked and Yeosang shook his head.

“We don’t know, yet, Wooyoung.” Yeosang said and Wooyoung stared at me before the centaur cleared his throat, pointing up at something above my head. They all glanced up, mouth dropping open.

“No.” Wooyoung whispered, his breaths coming out in long swirls of condensation in front of his eyes, curling into swirls in the air. “This can’t be true. None of this is true!” He burst out, eyes blazing with an unknown light I had never seen before. This: this was truly frantic. Frantic for what ... I had no idea.

“I ... I’m a demigod?” I whispered. Chiron looked at me out of the corner of his eye, his thin lips curving up into a smile. “I’m a ... demigod.” I repeated again, much quieter than the previous time.

“Yes, indeed you are, my child, but you’re not just a demigod. You're Choi San: son of Zeus.” He told me and I shook my head, pushing forward against the nagging thoughts at the back of my mind.

“No, no!” I shouted, voice resonating on the dining pavilion, everyone’s heads turning to stare at us in question. “I am not a son of that ... of that — that _God!_ He’s not my Father and I’m not his son!” I hissed, barging past the boy with flowers almost knitted into his hair. His beauty shone in the dark and I hated how a minute ago, he was insulting me for not being strong enough to be a child of Zeus. Like I wanted to be a son of that ... _man!_


	2. Knowledge Can Be Dangerous

I didn’t know where I was going or what exactly I was doing, but I knew that I had to get away from everyone. Be alone for once. Be away from the constant agony of not knowing, of people not caring, of people not believing. Believing in me. When someone grabbed me by the shoulder, I instinctively turned and punched whoever had the terrible fate of touching me. They shouted in pain and clutched at their nose, blood dribbling down their lips as they stared at me in confusion and surprise.

“Damn, you are strong.” He muttered and I shrugged before turning back around and continued to go to wherever I was going. The boy hurried after me, cursing under his breath as he wiped his blood away with the ends of his sleeve. “I’m Kim Hongjoong, but everyone just calls me Joong.” He told me and I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye.

“I don’t want to know who you are.” I said and he gnawed on his lip, studying me, warily, like he knew something I didn’t. “I’m here because I have to be: no one ever said I had to make friends and get to know people. So, I’m not going to and I’m not about to try. Can you leave me alone?” I snapped and he chuckled as we turned the corner. He grabbed my arm and started leading me to a cabin right at the far end of the trail: it looked cosy, but overall felt powerful. Even though it was a bunch of bricks, energy still radiated from it. I felt small and weak in its presence. I took a deep breath as Hongjoong pulled me inside.

“That’s Kang Taehyun and the other’s Jeon Jungkook.” He said, pointing to two different boys who looked like they could’ve been siblings. They both had brown, straight hair and light eyes. The same sharp jaw and thin, button nose. However, Jungkook was taller and more muscular, while Taehyun was on the short side compared to Jungkook and slightly skinnier. I nodded. “Guys, this is Choi San.” He introduced me to the others and Taehyun squinted at me.

“I’ve seen you somewhere.” He murmured then shrugged, seeming to forget where or simply couldn’t be bothered to think. I felt a smile tugging around my lips, but ignored the urge. Hongjoong turned towards me.

“About what happened in the dining pavilion and Wooyoung ~”

“Wooyoung?” Jungkook asked, turning to stare at me with a protective look. “What did he do to Wooyoung?” He questioned, turning to glare at Hongjoong, who sighed and rolled his light brown eyes. His red hair fell into his eyes and he swiped it away in irritation.

“It wasn’t him that did anything. It was Wooyoungie. He went off on San: don’t know what was wrong, but something didn’t seem right.” Hongjoong explained and Jungkook nodded, turning back to what he was doing.

 _Knock, Knock, Knock._

A boy with a pale complexion and black hair poked his head into the cabin and sniffed the air. His nose crinkled in disgust.

“You guys stink.” He stated. He had dark brown eyes like pools of chocolate: rich and thick. A small button nose and sharp features. Jungkook sneered playfully at him, to which the boy rolled his eyes. “Wooyoungie said that he'll be here in a minute. Told me to warn you as there was — he thought that some would be ... angry in his presence.” He told us then retreated out of the cabin with a slight smirk. I sighed.

“Your beds over there by the way.” Taehyun said, pointing to a bed on the other side of the cabin. It was in the shadows of the room, on the opposite side of theirs: they had a bunk-bed. I should’ve felt happy that I was getting my own bed with nothing on the top of me to stare at, but I wasn’t. It really seemed to me that I was alone with no one to accompany me and make me feel like I belonged. Hongjoong stared at my backpack.

“That’s all you’ve got?” He asked and I nodded. Hongjoong sighed as he glanced outside as footsteps pounded on the dry grass.

“I’ll get you some from the store — some supplies.” He said and I shook my head. I could live without a load of extra luggage.

“No, thanks. I’m good with this ... besides, I used to live on the streets: this is far better.” I said with a small smile. He hesitated for a moment then turned to look at Jungkook, who shrugged and gave a grin to Wooyoung and the boy next to him. This boy — like the one in the car — had bright blue hair falling down his face in curls. He had bright, hazel eyes and a boxy smile. Then he glanced at me and his smile faltered.

“H-Hello, um ...” I turned my back to him and started to unpack my things. “Did I do something wrong?” He whispered.

“No, you didn’t. That's just apparently who he is. Rude.” Wooyoung muttered.

“Shut up, Wooyoungie; you don’t know nothing about him.” Hongjoong pointed out. I pulled out my doll: Shiber from my backpack — it was the things that took up the most space in the bag. The only other thing I had stuffed in there, was a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, a hoodie and a picture frame with a family picture in it. I slowly, ran my fingertips along the glass and breathed out a sigh, staring at my Mother and baby sister in her arms.

“Who’s that?” Someone asked me, reaching around me and pointing at the little girl. I glanced to the side to see Yeosang staring at me with a small smile and I sat on the edge of the bed, him sitting down next to me.

“My baby sister: Clara. She ... um, she died when she was five. Cancer in her lungs: she wasn’t strong enough to fight it off. But, I knew she was fighting — every single day. I still remember her last words: love yourself.” I said, quietly and Taehyun stared at me for a moment.

“Why was that her last words?” He asked, curiously.

“Um, at that time, I had really bad, low self-esteem. She came to me once and told me she had heard me crying myself to sleep for around a week: said she didn’t want me to be in pain anymore. Her love made my confidence rise — not completely — but who I am now is because of her. She was my treasure.” I whispered. “I guess my treasure got lost after all.” I muttered, bitterly and Yeosang placed a hand on my shoulder.

“At least you still have your Mother.” He told me and I shook my head.

“I don't even think I have her.” I pointed out and Yeosang snorted then drew something — a large, gold coin — out of his pocket.

“Wanna see?” He asked and I nodded, dumb-founded. Yeosang threw the coin into the fountain in the middle of the room with a huge smile. “We call them Drachma's: they’re like Greek money. You throw the coin in water and say: ‘Oh Goddess, Iris, accept my offering'.” As soon as he said it the water started swirling and shifted into the air. “Show me Choi Natalie.” He said and my Mother’s face appeared in the water. I stood, stock still as my Mother looked right at us and her eyes widened.

“Sannie?” She asked, quietly in shock and I nodded. Yeosang slung an arm around my shoulder.

“Hey, Nat.” He greeted and Mother smiled.

“Hey, Yeosangie.” She said. “It’s been so long!” She exclaimed and Yeosang chuckled. I shook my head.

“I ... I’m sorry, Mama.” I whispered, glancing up at her with a pouty look and she rubbed her chin, thinking.

“Hmm, should I forgive you?” She asked herself. She looked at me once then started laughing. “How can I say no to you, baby?” She questioned and I shrugged, shaking my head, holding the frame close to my chest.

“I dunno.” I said and Mother glanced down at the frame in my hands and frowned. Her eyes became distance.

“You’re not thinking about Clara again, are you?” She asked and I nodded. “Sannie, you know what happened last time ~”

“I know, I know, Mama.” I told her and she smiled.

“I wanna give you a hug so much, but I have a feeling it won’t ~” She was interrupted by a bang and shadows started to envelope her. I blinked and took a step forward.

“Mama?” I asked, sceptically. She screamed in pain and was lifted off the ground, dangling in the air, her legs moving around, blindly. A figure walked into the darkness and looked at us with sparkling, venomous eyes.

“I’m coming for you next, Choi San.” He said and darkness cut through the message, making me scream and try to claw at the fading image.  
I growled, turned and stormed out of the cabin, putting the frame on my bed before I did, and stomping my way to Chiron. The wind shifted, the clouds going dark above us, lightning crackling in the sky as I stormed to the dining pavilion. The others ran after me.

“San!” Jungkook shouted, but I ignored him stopping in front of Chiron and staring at him until he looked at me.

“Is this some kind of sick joke?” I demanded and he opened his mouth. “My Mother worked hard to get were she was today and protect me! Now, suddenly, when I come to this stupid Camp, she gets kidnapped by some murderous criminal dressed in black type shit! Did you have anything to do with this?” I shouted and all eyes turned to us, interested. The thunder crackled louder around us.

“San, calm down.” Taehyun pleaded. Chiron studied me.

“The kidnapping of your Mother is not my fault, neither did I plan it, San.” He said and I scowled.

“Then tell me who did.” I ordered. “I’ll kill them with my bare hands and hang their body on a stick for everyone to see.” Chiron started laughing at my statement and my anger and frustration grew into a bubbling pit of rage.

“You think this is funny?” I thundered, the lightning clapping down on a tree then another and another until they were thick piles of dust. Chiron's eyes widened in shock and he paled, drastically. Someone screamed and the rest gasped.

“Listen to me, San, I do not know where your Mother is ~”

“But, I do.” Someone interrupted and I turned to see a man in a bikers jacket, his eyes covered by thin rimmed sunglasses. His biceps were ripped with a tattoo across his muscle. You could tell this person worked out. He was dressed in pretty much all leather and I snorted.

“Like you could help me.” I scowled and he smirked.

“Better watch your mouth when you’re talking to me, kid.” He stated, taking off his sunglasses and rubbing the lenses against his jacket to clean them. Instead of irises, there was bright balls of red flames, currently flickering at a small temperature. I glared at him and he laughed. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, kid: looking at me like that.” He said and I snorted.

“Do you think I’m going to stand here and take your bullshit?” I asked and he shrugged with a smirk. “Good, now if you’re quite done with all this talk and smack, tell me where my Mother is!” I said and be glanced down at his hands.

“I have only one condition.” He said. I irked my eyebrows.

“What?” I asked. He grinned.

“You give me your life when you die. You pledge to give your life to me as a servant when you die.” He said and I hesitated for a moment, everyone holding their breaths.

“San, no!” Wooyoung shouted and I turned to look at him.

“And why not?” I asked. He scowled at me.

“You really are dumb, huh?” He questioned. “That’s Ares: God of War, you duffus. If you pledge your life and soul, he’ll tear it up and crush it into the dirt. He feeds on the pain of the weak and right now, you’re weak — you’re not thinking straight. Think rationally!” He exclaimed and I turned to sneer at Ares.

“God or not, he's the stupid one.” I said and Ares laughed.

“Your Father has permitted me to visit, but not hurt you, so I won’t disobey Zeus. You’re lucky this time, little cousin.” He said and I growled.

“Don’t call me that, bitch.” I scowled. “Zeus is no Father and I’m no son of his!” I screamed. “Get it into your thick skull: I don’t need his help: I’ve lived without it for long enough.” I shouted and he shrugged again.

“Fine then.” He said then smirked at me. “Watch your back, Choi San.” He said and disappeared, not before bursting into a cloud of light, making me clench my eyes shut. I did not want to die on the spot just because I looked at someone’s Godly figure. Chiron had paled drastically in the last few minutes: he looked like a piece of paper.

“Watch my back.” I laughed, humourlessly, glaring at the spot Ares had disappeared from with a gaze like fire. I hated that man — God — with a burning passion that seemed to overflow whenever I looked at him or even sensed his presence. “I’ll show you watching my back.” I growled, turning and beginning to walk back to the cabin Hongjoong had told me I was living in from now on.

To be completely honest: I didn’t like staying here: at all, so I was kind of thankful for this chance to leave and do something with my time. Instead of just sitting and waiting: waiting for something, anything to happen. A sharp jerk of my wrist had me spinning around and I was shoved into a wall of a cabin I had passed — it was bright pink and stunk of perfume. My head was dizzy just from the smell.

“Are you out of your mind?” The person snarled at me and I noticed that it was the boy from earlier. His black hair contrasted with his pale, icy complexion as he sneered at me. I sneered right back and he pressed me harder into the cabin's wood; my mind swum even faster as the intoxicating scent imprinted itself into my brain. “You could’ve been killed by Ares and now you’re going off and doing something stupid?” He demanded. I kicked him in the gut and he reeled backwards, clutching his wounded area as he stared at me. I landed on my feet and lifted my head to gaze at him for a moment before barging past him and carrying on to the cabin.

“Are you even listening to me? Is your brain that fogged up?” He asked and I hesitated for a moment. His words brought flashbacks of emotions I no longer wanted to experience: the kind of feelings I used to have as a kid when I thought I was so low that I didn’t — couldn’t ever compare to the others. When I felt like I was useless and below the rest because I didn’t have the right fashion: the right looks: the right mind set: the right brain. I took a deep breath and forged ahead, despite all the worries and doubts nipping at my heals — they would forever and always be there no matter where I went.

You may be asking why I, son of Zeus — the powerful God and King of pretty much the whole universe — feels as though he’s not enough? There’s a simple yet complicated reason for that; I was raised with it since birth. I was homeless until I was nine and even then, I still felt pretty powerless and useless. Even when my sister died and I knew it wasn’t my fault, I still blamed myself. Maybe if I had gotten sick; she wouldn’t have had to suffer so much. Maybe I should’ve been there for her, for every moment of every second of her life. But, I wasn’t.

Not to mention, the fact that I was surrounded by people that seemed to be above me, flying higher than the rising sun while I was just the pale moon in the background. The one that isn’t so significant compared to the stars. Everyone had everything I didn’t: phones, laptops, computers, the latest tech and fashion pieces while I had ... nothing. People belittled me for not fitting in; for not being like them, for living my life differently to theirs. Every second of every moment, I was hiding behind something invisible and when I was revealed, everyone would hate me and push me down. Kind of like now.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” The boy screamed, his footsteps coming closer, but I darted into the cabin and began packing up everything I had recently laid out on the bed. Everything seemed to slow down as the boy grabbed my shoulder. I turned and shoved him away; he flew back as electricity sparked from my fingers and shocked through his body. He flew into the arms of a blonde, who caught him, falling backwards from the sudden weight. I glared at him.

“I heard you clearly: crystal clear.” I hissed and he stumbled to his feet, meaning to take a couple of steps closer and get into my face, but someone stopped him. It was the same blonde, who had caught him.

“Shush, Neeks.” He whispered. “It’s his decision.” He said and I scoffed, shoving the rest of the items into my backpack before slinging it over one shoulder after I had zipped it up. Yeosang rushed to catch up with me.

“You have to go see Chiron, San.” Yeosang told me and I stopped, moving my body, so I was looking straight into his eyes. I raised my eyebrows and he sighed, crossing his arms. “I know you want to go and save your Mother, the first chance you get. I know how much you want this, San, but you can’t just go barging into somewhere you know you have inexperience in. You have to go to Chiron: then consult with Rachel: our Oracle.” He explained. I gnawed on my lip for a moment then nodded.

“Lead the way.” I ordered and he grinned before leading me to the dining pavilion again. Everyone was still there: but the lightning had faded and now it was nothing but clear blue skies. I kind of felt guilty seeing the three trees I had accidentally struck with thunder. Chiron was still standing there, except now he was conversing with a tall boy with plump lips, brown hair and glasses. As we approached, the tall guy excused himself and Chiron turned to us.

“I assume you two are here as you want to consult Rachel?” He questioned and Yeosang smiled, leaning up on his tiptoes to pat Chiron's shoulder.

“You know us well, my friend.” Yeosang said. Chiron released a deep breath before glancing at something and sighing.

“Very well; Rachel is over there.” He told us, pointing to a girl with bright orange hair and green eyes. Freckles were sprinkled across her cheeks like melted chocolate dyed orange. Her clothes were a simple jeans and short sleeved shirt, but they had multiple splatters of paint — different colours everywhere in different places. She smiled at Yeosang.

“Hello, Yeosang, it is nice to ~” She cut herself off as she glanced at me and her mouth parted in surprise, her eyes widening. They turned an unnatural shade of bright green like the colour of a snakes scales under its belly to show its poisonous nature. Green mist drifted out of her, wafting in the air and surrounding Rachel’s body, creating a creepy aura around her that wasn’t there before.

_“The world will rise anew,_

_A new team: a group of eight: a different crew,_

_They will travel across the land,_

_And carve a great destiny by hand,_

_A group of eight will save a lost soul,_

_And a broken heart will finally become whole.”_

The green smoke retreated back into Rachel and her eyes cleared up as she blinked around at everyone. They were all gaping at her and it looked like they weren’t used to it yet or simply weren’t ready. ‘A group of eight will save a lost soul.’ That’s got to be my Mother! Rachel groaned and got up, heading off somewhere as a girl with grey eyes and blonde hair got up and followed her until they were small dots in the distance. Yeosang cleared his throat.

“That seemed awfully ... positive, right?” Yeosang asked and I nodded before striding back to Chiron and staring up at him.

“I need a group of seven: we leave in an hour and a half.” I said to him and he nodded, shaking his long hair out of his eyes with a soft sigh.

“Okay.” He told me and I tried to hide the slight disappointment. I thought he was going to tell me something about what was just said: a hint: a clue. Anything!


	3. The Quest

I’ve told people millions of times that things don’t always work out: never the way you expect them to. Everything seems just a little screwed up too tight, or just a tiniest bit too loose. In this case, the thing that wasn’t working out for me was the fact that Chiron had fulfilled my wish and got seven people to go on the quest with me, but one of them was Wooyoung. Wooyoung! Why did it have to be him? Apparently, they volunteered to go with me and I understood why people like Hongjoong and Yeosang would go with me, but some ... not so much. The people that Chiron had put together came from different backgrounds, different communities, had different personalities, but they all knew each other. I knew none of them and it was driving me insane.

“So, should we head off?” Hongjoong asked and they all looked directly at me, which made me squirm from the attention. I never had really been much for the love and attention because of my self-esteem issues and low confidence in myself that it just never seemed right. I mean ... someone that wasn’t even sure they loved themselves being the centre of attention rather that the person that everyone loved. It just didn’t make sense. People shouldn’t have to love me just because they have too.

“Chiron said that he wanted to see me in the Big House before we went off, so I have to go there before we go.” I told them and they nodded. We walked all the way to the Big House, but didn’t go inside, rather stayed outside because Chiron was already waiting for us on the porch. Chiron trotted over to us and stopped right in front of me.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, San.” He said and my eyebrows knitted together because it seemed like he was saying his greeting to me again: like we hadn’t met before. “Do you want to know why? Because your Mother told me all about you, San, and everything you did and stood for. I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to do anything irrational and even though there are other here to stop you, I want to know that you won’t go off on your own.” He explained and my eyebrows knitted together. “I understand and no, I won’t go off on my own. If there is only a little chance of me saving my Mother then I don’t want anything to ruin that.” I said to him and Chiron smiled.

“Very well.” He said. “Argus will accompany you to your first stop.” He told me and a figure walked into the room. Eyes — bright, ocean blue eyes — littered his body and arms, watching our every move. It was kind of creepy seeing his different eyes move in different directions, staring at anything and everything. I saw his thin lips curve into a smile, his brown hair concealing some of his forehead.

“Follow me.” He ordered and we did as we were told. Argus seemed to be older than us by a couple of years, but I wasn’t so sure if he was. He seemed to be just a little younger than Chiron or at least half his age — and that was a long time he had been alive. He lead us to a white van with a picture of a strawberry farm and it’s logo printed across the surface. I squinted before we climbed inside. It was a simple van, but managed to fit all eight of us with Argus in the front. The seats we were sitting on were black leather, peeling off in some places, but seemed in pretty good shape. There was four on one side with four on the other: facing each other; kind of like the vehicle I had rode in to Camp Half-Blood.

“So ...” Hongjoong trailed off as he pulled his knees to his chest, emphasising the fact that he was small. His flipped his red hair back with a tight, clipped smile and even I — someone who had not known him long — could see it was very much fake.

“How about we all introduce ourselves: seeing as some may not know each other.” Wooyoung said, breaking the awkward silence that had descended into the tense air. I knew he was referring to me when he said what he said and it kind of tugged at my heart strings: the way he said it. Almost as if I was a little bit of a drag — a heavy weight dragging down his back; an anchor. Sighing, I curled in on myself as Yeosang nodded.

“Yes. I’m Kang Yeosang.” He introduced himself and smiled, shyly, at everyone before settling back down into himself and stretching his arms. Hongjoong and Wooyoung introduced themselves next then the boy from earlier: the one with the hazel hair and muscular frame started to speak.

“I’m Choi Jongho.” He said with a tense smile. To me, it seemed that Jongho was one of those people that had a hard time showing his emotions when he was with people he didn’t know. But, when he was with people he did know, he just let loose and allowed himself to be himself and not have to constantly worry about what others would think and say about him. Kind of like me, I guess, you could say.

“Park Seonghwa.” A boy with a blindingly handsome face told us with an air of confidence. His hair was ink-black, slicked across one side of his face, bringing out his light, sparkling eyes and thin, peachy lips. He ran his tongue along his lower lip and I heard Hongjoong groan at the sight.

“Not this again.” He muttered and Wooyoung started to snicker at what he said. I believed it was an inside joke between them that I was yet to know about and probably would never know about. Seonghwa’s nose scrunched up as he made a face at Hongjoong, but said nothing.

“Jeong Yunho.” Another male carried on, breaking through what happened with a huge smile. He looked like a cute puppy, with his brown hair and hazel eyes that glittered in the man-made lights. He seemed like the energizer of the group: the one that hypes everyone up, but when he was sad, people noticed it straight away and people were affected very easily. I’ve always wanted to be one of those people, but have never had the courage to be one.

“I’m Song Mingi.” The last person spoke up and I realised that this was the person I had seen talking to Chiron when me and Yeosang approached him about consulting the Oracle. He had plump lips with brown eyes and long eyelashes that people would kill for. Fake glasses were settled nicely on his nose while his brown hair curled down his forehead, concealing his silky, smooth skin.

“Choi San.” I muttered, finally, and nothing changed. No one whispered to each other or said something harsh. Wooyoung looked away and out the window, while the others smiled widely at me, looking eager about someone new in their group. I blinked at them as it was all so new and confusing, yet I felt warm and fluffy on the inside: like something was slotting into place very slowly. Very slowly, but surely, things were regrouping in my life and fixing themselves. Very slowly.

“This is as far as I can take you, guys.” Argus said from up front and I realised that while we were chatting and introducing ourselves; Argus had come to a stop in front of a huge building, climbing up higher in the sky than I thought possible. It held an ethereal beauty to it that the other buildings around it didn’t; they almost seemed dull and blurry in comparison. The building curled upwards, the red bricks painted white while the dome at the top was ocean blue glass like the kind you get in cathedrals. Stain glass. We slid out of the car and I began walking towards the building as if mesmerised. Yeosang cleared his throat.

“San.” He whispered and I stopped, turning to glance at him over my shoulder before adverting my attention back to the building. “Remember what Chiron said.” He hissed and I nodded, my head slightly clearing as I made my way back to Yeosang and the others. “I get it, San, that you’re not used to these things — quests and all, but we really aren’t as bad as ~”

“It’s not that.” I hurried to say and Yeosang irked an eyebrow at me in question. I pointed to the dome building as if that was explanation enough. “I don’t know what it is about that building, but I just ... I don’t know: I felt drawn to it.” I told him and Yeosang stared at the building for a second before sighing.

“That’s because my Mother cloaked it.” He said and upon seeing my eyebrows knit together in confusion, he decided to elaborate. “My Mother is Aphrodite: Goddess of Love and so, you obviously felt drawn to it because my Mother put a spell on it. It could be because she has a certain fancy for the owner and this is a way of ...” He cleared his throat with a cough/laugh. “Get into his pants.” He said. “Or simply because she favours this building because of something. Either way, what you are feeling now would’ve been the exact same feeling if you met Aphrodite — unexplainable magnetism.” He carried on. I nodded along to what he said because what he was explaining made complete sense to me. After all, Aphrodite was the Goddess of Love, so she should at least be able to have the power to make people fall in love with her at first sight.

“San!” Someone shouted and I turned, only to be almost run down by a body as it barrelled into me and tackled me to the ground in a bear hug. I gasped as my back hit the floor and brown, fluffy hair was thrust into my face. The hug I was receiving felt like the kind of hug you would give your teddy bear after a stressful day; the kind that seems to lift your dampened mood from the grave and restore it to its former glory. The kind people give you when they haven’t seen you in ages: like the hug could convey a million different thoughts all in one. I coughed a little with a small smile.

“Hey, Dongmyeong.” I said and he chuckled before pulling away and helping to my feet, pulling me into another quick hug and I faintly saw his twin Dongju — although he prefers to be called Xion — standing behind him. Xion and Dongmyeong were twins and the best kind of twins because they were both so sweet and loving that everything seemed to melt in comparison to their kindness and happy natures. Xion could be savage sometimes though, like the raging tides of the ocean: you never knew when he would strike. They both had dark eyes that sparkled like a million diamonds in the light, thin lips and a button nose. The hair was the only difference, really; Dongmyeong had light brown hair while Xion had a type of bluish, purple hair, but it seemed that the dye was fading, making his complexion seem softer.

“Hey, San.” Xion said. “Nice to see you, too.” I chuckled as I sensed the slight sarcasm in his words and weaved around Dongmyeong to pull Xion into a slight hug. He squirmed under my touch and groaned in protest: Xion wasn’t really ones for hugs, unlike his twin, who would give them out as if they were candies. For free too. Eventually, I pulled back and ruffled his hair and he scowled, smoothening down the ruffled strands with a smooth flick of his wrist. I rolled my shoulders back and stared at them for a moment, watching the others stare at each other in slight confusion.

“So, um ... what are you guys doing here?” I asked and Xion tilted his head to the side, a small smile tugging at the corners of his thin lips.

“You don’t know why we’re here?” He questioned and I shook my head as he rolled his dark eyes, a lock of his hair gliding down his forehead concealing his view from us. He swiped it behind his ear in a quick, fluid movement. “Me and Dongmyeong bought an apartment here and we just finished unpacking. I did send you a text, but it seems like you didn’t receive it.” He pointed out and I gasped, patting my pockets down, thoroughly, before sighing.

“I left my phone back at my house: something came up and I had to leave. I ... Dongmyeong: Xion, it’s great to see you again and all, but I really need to go and do something. I’ll maybe ... see you soon?” I hurried to say and Xion shrugged while Dongmyeong opened his mouth to no doubt suggest we try and do something together as a whole big ass group, like go to a cafe or something.

“Alright, Sannie. We better get going.” Xion said as he grabbed a hold of Dongmyeong’s arm and started to drag him away, making me sigh in relief as they waved their goodbyes to me. I faked a huge smile and returned the wave before they disappeared into an alleyway down the road. Yeosang returned to my side and without another word, began leading us to the huge dome building I had felt a certain attraction too. It kind of didn’t make sense to be charging into a building that had a huge power wrapped around its wall, but Yeosang was doing exactly that. And he was really confident: like he owned the place. I stared at him and saw that as soon as we walked through the doors, his confidence flew away and he was back to the normal Yeosang I had seen; shy and modest.

“Hello, Ma'am, we’re looking for Aphro.” Yeosang asked, quietly and the lady looked up from the desk as if she was bored and couldn’t be bothered. Her eyes dimmed a little and she typed in what Yeosang said. “I’m Kang Yeosang.” Yeosang said just as the lady opened her mouth to no doubt ask that same exact question. He smiled at the lady, who gave a tired sigh. The lady herself was slightly chubby with green eyes and long brown hair coming to just above her shoulders. The top she was wearing was a blinding white with a small lace pattern around the collar in black. “She’s up in her office: the third door, down the corridor, two doors down and to the left.” I blinked at all the information she had given us, but Yeosang nodded with a smile, before charging down the room and disappearing from our view. Me and the others rushed after him, only to see his footsteps disappear behind a corner: we started to sprint; only making it to his side when his hand was thundering down on the door to ‘Aphro's' office. The door was flung open and a beautiful woman appeared, eyes narrowing at us.

“Who are you?” She demanded. Her long hair curled down her waist in majestic curls and spirals bringing out her eyes. Yeosang stared at her for a moment before his lips quirked up at the corners into a devilish smirk and I knew that whatever he was planning would not end well.

“Don’t you recognize me, Mother?”


	4. Issues

Turns out that Aphro was Aphrodite and I really wanted to slap myself for not seeing the similarities and everything in between. How could I have missed it? Aphro was half of Aphrodite; in the name and in the terms of humans and immortality. Aphrodite was her immortal Godly self while the Aphro part was different — more civil and chilled in terms of the chaos that Gods liked to ravage around their children and friends. Aphro seemed different to her other self — if you could even call it that — she looked like the kind of woman who had gotten where she was by hard work rather than looks. But, I wasn’t so quick to assume that what things in front of me looked like were true.

Aphro's eyebrows knitted together as she studied Yeosang in front of her. Part of me wished she would turn Yeosang away and tell him that this was no place for jokes and that she had work to do, but she didn’t. Rather, her thin, peachy lips curved up into a half smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes and I’m not sure it ever would. After all, this was the Goddess who liked to mess with people’s love life like they were the puppets on her strings, being controlled and lead in different directions just for her own entertainment. She was always behind the wheel and eventually, the car would crash and she’ll leave the mess to others.

“Oh, I recognize you alright.” She told us, gesturing for us all to enter her office to which we did. Inside the room, it was mildly simple with grey walls and a white desk, a small picture frame of someone sitting on the wood. A small, but expensive computer sat behind that and the faint sound of typing began to fill the air. There was a man behind the desk, writing something into the technology with a frown, a crease between his eyebrows. Whatever was going on here, the man had no idea what was going on and probably wouldn’t remember anything afterwards either. Aphro saw me looking at the man and winked.

“Like what you see?” She asked and I stared at her, eyes narrowing as I shook my head. “Too bad: he really is an obedient young man, that one is. Does whatever I ask him to — even if he has to clean the toilets: he does it. He’s an angel really.” She said. Or rather you’re the devil. “But, don’t mind him. We’re here to talk business and why you all are here in the first place. I’ve heard from Olympus that my boyfriend talked to little San and things got a little ... heated. I really hope you’re not like that with me; I really can’t stand them type of men. They always get under my skin and sometimes literally.” She carried on. Wooyoung choked on his breath and Aphro turned to look at him with a huge smile.

“Jung Wooyoung.” She addressed and she said it like she knew everything about him — every single little piece of information since he was born until now. And I had a feeling there were secrets that no one knew, but Aphro did and that was exactly how she would use them against him when it most mattered. When he betrayed her or said something to insult her. If you thought about it, Aphro was a powerful ally, but also a powerful and dangerous foe. “I know all about you. Came from a small family: homophobic Father that kicked you out when you were thirteen because you admitted to being queer. Lived on the streets for a year before a satyr found you and guided you to Camp. Things haven’t been easy for you, have they, Mr Jung?” She asked. It was like she was reciting something from a book and it was kind of creepy just watching her eyes boring into Wooyoung’s head like they were burning holes right through him. Wooyoung’s eyes hardened like stones and he took a step forward, raising his fists.

“Leave that man out of this!” He roared and Aphro smirked while Yeosang curled inwards on himself, clearing regretting his decisions on confronting Aphro like he did. I didn’t know what the relationship between Wooyoung and Yeosang was, but it must have been strong if Aphro was using Wooyoung as a target to hurt Yeosang. It was quite smart actually.

“Leave him alone, Mother.” Yeosang muttered and Aphro shrugged then turned to me and her eyes seemed to light up. Like a thousand galaxies being lit on fire in a single second, painting the galaxy a rainbow sea of colours. She walked to the chair and sat down, folding her legs neatly beneath her, never once taking her eyes off mine. She didn’t even blink when I sneered at her.

“Well, Choi San, it’s safe to say that you’re one of the most interesting people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet.” She giggled and I crossed my arms over my chest, resisting the urge to leave the room and the whole building, retreating into the thoughts and the reminiscent of my family and life I had before all of this happened. Before everything went downhill and I was left in a black hole no amount of effort could break and free me from this hell. Aphro tilted her head. “Oh, Mr Choi, you’ve had quite the hardship issues haven’t you?” She asked then smirked, clearly taking the silence as a chance to elaborate on her point.

“When I look at you, I don’t see what everyone else does, Mr Choi. Others see a strong independent and handsome male, but I see a weak boy who's past has haunted him to the ends of the Earth. The type of person who puts others before himself and questions everything he is. Am I correct?” I glared at her and she chuckled. “Do not give me that look, Mr Choi. You know I am right, yet you choose not to say anything and finally end all this suffering you’ve built up and carried around? How about some reminders for you to remember?” She asked and I shook my head, frantically, but she had already conjured up something from thin air. It was thin with an air of elegance and tranquillity, but what was inside it was not. She snapped her fingers and the white cloud morphed into a photo in mid-air then changed shape into a video of a memory lost at the back of my mind.

One I had wanted to forget.

_The little boy in front of the market was small and thin, his ribs showing through his ripped shirt. You could see the tatters and ribbons the boy had gone through: see it in his eyes and his face, the lines no child should have. The way his back curved and his shoulders dragged down suggested that this child had been through many things already and not matter how hard he tried, he could never forget the lost fragments of his childhood. His hand slipped under the table cloth and stealthily snatched away a piece of bread and a bottle of water._

_“Oi, boy. What do you think you’re doing?” The owner raged, appearing from behind the curtain that concealed the rest of the supplies. The little boy gulped and took a small step backwards, stumbling a little._

_“I — I’m here b-because I — I wanted t-to k-know how much t-that c-costs.” The young one said, pointing to something behind the owners view. The owner frowned and turned to look at the said object, but when he turned back the boy was already gone and charging down the narrow streets of his hometown. He took a sharp turn and fell, scraping his knees and face in the process, but still getting up, nevertheless. He seemed to have gotten used to the harsh conditions of living on the streets and it’s consequences, but his Mother had not. They lived alone on the streets with no one there to take care of them and tend to everything their lives stood for._

_“Mama!” The little boy panted as he reached the end of the alleyway and stood in front of the young woman nursing her little baby after a long nap. The little girl in her arms was crying and whining, but the Mother didn’t seem to mind, but rather a small smile danced on her lips. She was happy even though she lived on the streets with barely any money or food to support the hunger and living expenses. “Look what I got! Bread and water; for you and Clara.” He explained, his long breaths reducing to short and normal ones. The Mother smiled brightly and gestured for the little boy to sit next to her — he hesitated, but obeyed her in the end. The frizzy, messy strands of her brown hair tickled the boy’s cheek and he giggled, drifting closer to his Mother’s warmth._

_“What are you going to eat then, Sannie?” She asked and San shook his head, handing his Mother the bread and water before standing up again and taking a step backwards._

_“There are things that I need to protect you and Clara from, Mama.” He whispered, his tone and words far too mature for a person of his age. But, then again wisdom has no boundaries. “I need to protect you from dying of starvation, Mama; I don’t matter right now — you and Clara’s future do.” He said, smiling softly before turning and trudging back down the narrow alleyway. The Mother watched with tears in her eyes, too tired and weak to get up from the musty, grime filled mattress laying on the floor. San disappeared behind the corner and that’s when the Mother finally let her tears fall._

“As you can see, Mr Choi, you’ve always been a man of many qualities ... even if you weren’t just a man yet.” Aphro explained and I scowled at her smirking face, but now it had a tinge of pity etched into her irises. I hated pity and she was staring at me with it at full force. “You just didn’t realise the extent of your kindness and love ... and what it would behold you in the future.” She murmured and the imaged morphed once again.

_A small hospital room with a little five year old sat on the bed, her pale face too vibrant against the sheets of the blue blankets. Her veins stood out on her hands, the blue, green and purple mixing together in a spider web. It was slightly sickening to look at. The boy sitting at the edge of the bed along with the woman were similar — San and his Mother. The girl took a shaky breath and San put his hand atop hers, tears falling from his eyelashes. He had cleaned up and now was young and handsome as some liked to say: brown hair that he later dyed blonde and deep brown eyes filled with wisdom. There was no longer spots of dirt and grime littered across his cheeks, no tattered clothes ripped to ribbons. His Mother had gone through the same process and even had a little make-up on, signalling their rise in wealth and hygiene._

_“Clara, just hold on.” San whispered, his tears trailing down his cheeks in icy rivers. Their Mother watched with an expressionless face — one she had mastered since they were informed about Clara’s cancer. It seemed like she was cold and rock hard when it came to this kind of stuff, but inside, she was slowly breaking apart and no amount of distractions and walls she put up, nothing could change that. Clara’s eyes fluttered, her long black eyelashes brushing her cheekbones in ways girls could only dream of. Yet, no girl could ever dream up this: dying in a bed while your family sat back and grieved for you: not being able to stop things from happening. It was pure torture. She opened her mouth and licked her lips._

_“S-San.” She croaked and the monitor started beeping irregularly. San shot it a look of concern and panic swam in his irises, but he focused of Clara because she was trying to say something. Trying to talk to him. “I — I love you, S-Sannie. Not even d-death can change that. I know you struggle w-with confidence, s-so I j-just want you t-to take everything i-in your s-stride.” She stuttered then stared right at him, her young eyes fading into lifeless ones. “Love yourself.” She whispered as her eyes shut and her breathing collapsed, the monitor beeping like crazy. San screamed and nurses rushed in, dragging the boy out by his arms as he cried out for the life loss inside the hospital room. The life that didn’t deserved to be taken._

“Things just kept down spiralling from there, am I right?” Aphro asked, eyebrow raising in question and I really wanted to slap that silly smirk right off her face and onto the floor. The floor I would rain down my stomps on just to feel the satisfaction of the smirk being completely gone. I frowned.

“You’ve had your fun.” I muttered. “Made me feel worthless: everything my sister told me not to do.” I accused, glaring at her in the eyes. “Just tell us where we need to go and I’ll tell my Father to go easy on you when you get back to Olympus.” I offered and her smirk faltered for a moment at the mention of Zeus. I allowed a small smile of my own to lift the corner of my lips up and I leaned back, fingertips tapping a rhythm on my arm. “Or I could simply walk out and let my Father have his way with you.” I reminded and Aphro paled.

“I ‐ I ~” She cleared her throat and gulped. “I have a car waiting outside: it’ll take you to your next destination, b-but be warned.” She said. I chuckled and she frowned. “T-There will be dangers there; you’ll all need to overcome one of your greatest fears to survive.” She warned and I snorted then smiled.

“It was nice talking to you: have fun with my Father.” I muttered and turned, striding out. The others following behind like I was the leader and I stopped, letting Hongjoong take the lead. We carried on like nothing had happened and burst into the car park. Butterflies of anxiety and worries were fluttering in my stomach. I knew something bad was about to happen.


	5. Car Rides And Strategies

The butterflies of anxiety and worries didn’t fade even when we passed the point where the buildings pull didn’t make any of the group react. It didn’t fade even when we all climbed into the car Aphrodite had been speaking about.

The outside of the car was a glossy black, shining in the light. The driver was handsome with a chiselled jaw and thin lips, a perfect nose and thick eyebrows. His eyes were concealed with the sunglasses he had on his face: his hair was black and slicked back, matching the fine image his tuxedo shaped for him. Everything from the shiny, black shoes to the thin strands of gelled black hair atop his head seemed to fit Aphrodite's type of assistant. Handsome, dark, mysterious and intimidating. The door swung open as soon as we approached, indicating that this was the car Aphrodite was talking about and not a phony trying to trick us. I shook my head.

“Hurry up and climb in.” The male in front grumbled, his low, gravelly voice matching his exterior perfectly. I blinked and that was when I realised that all the others had climbed in without a second moment of hesitation while I was waiting on the side, eyes darting between the driver and murky colour of the car with caution. Taking a deep breath, I clambered into the car, shutting the door behind me: I was squeezed between the door and Wooyoung. I could feel his body heat next to me and the nervousness doubled ten folds.

“So, here’s everything we know so far,” Hongjoong stated, flicking a strand of red hair out of his eyes as his gaze cast around the car's interior. The car's interior was simple, but effective with black walls, black leather seats and a black carpet. I was surprised that it wasn’t all pink, frizzy and poppy like the image of Aphrodite had conjured up. There was little compartments in the wall and they were filled with sweets of different colours, painting the dark interior with the small hope and happiness it seemed to lack. The engine roared to life and the car shifted, beginning to move as the driver began the journey. “Aphrodite knows things about us that no one else does: this obviously allowed her and maybe other Olympians to house a type of competition of sorts. This competition will test our skills and teamwork as a type of bonding period or it could simply be for their amusement and to tear us apart one by one.” Beside him, Seonghwa grimaced, handsome face twisting.

“Either way, this will be a test and we have to stick together. This test will include our deepest fears and in order to condemn them, each of us will partner up with someone when we get there, so we can widen our search of the perimeter.

This isn’t just about the test: there will be clues on where that dreaded monster has taken San's Mother — do not approach someone if they seem to have an air of suspicion around them. Do not risk your own life and certainly not your partners either. I believe that the clue will be clear once you see it and if anyone does find it, alert someone, but do not leave each other unless you both have already faced your fears, okay?” The whole team nodded and I looked out the window, gnawing thoughtfully on my bottom lip. If the whole group split up into pairs, I would have to go with another person and temporarily place my life and secrets into their hands in the hopes that they would be able to help me. My stomach clenched painfully at the thought. I hated relying on people — it just didn’t seem natural at all to me. Why should I have to place my trust in someone I knew wouldn’t be able to keep a simple promise?

“San's Mother was abducted by something and that person or monster could have numerous different allies at his disposal, so I advise everyone to be careful — no one is safe. No one is alright and the person who is paired with San: keep a cautious eye on him at all times.” Hongjoong continued and my fingertips tingled at the sentence or rather command he instituted. It made me feel like an animal at the zoo, always being watched and studied without its consent. “This whole thing is about San — they’ll try everything and every way to get San in their clutches. They will try to fool you and split you up, but that can’t happen. If San is captured, we can say bye bye to any hopes of finding his Mother; San could have some evidence and ideas on where his Mother is being held captive.” Hongjoong told the others. Wooyoung shifted slightly in his seat, reaching over me to open the compartment in the door and take out a pink sweet. He closed the compartment and put the sweet in his mouth, chewing it slowly. My eyes followed his movements and when he started to speak, my gaze fell to his lips that had pulled into a slight smirk like he could sense the attention.

“But, what if ... say, I don’t know, the partner of Choi San wanted to use him as bait for the attackers, so we can hold the enemies as hostages? That way we can get information without having to kill anyone.” Wooyoung suggested and I winced, feeling his words slice into my heart in ways they shouldn’t, but somehow did. I was right to think that Wooyoung didn’t like me. Who would use someone as bait like they were a useless, unemotional robot? Hongjoong's gaze hardened as he stared at Wooyoung.

“Then that person who is San's partner is stupid.” He growled. Wooyoung smirked and settled comfortably back into his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. His posture reminded me of those rich powerful men that think they’re above everyone else when really they’re taking advantage of people’s wishes and fantasies and deceiving them until all that is left is the hopeless reality the world leaves. His snarky smirk seemed to taunt everyone around him, including me, forcing them to feel useless beneath his steely gaze. Hongjoong didn’t look fazed, though, and I tried to shake off the feeling crawling up my spine. “But, you have a point.” Hongjoong sighed and Yeosang turned to him, incredulously.

“You cannot be serious!” He exclaimed in disbelief, eyebrows raising, frown creasing around his lips. “You said it yourself: San is the key to everything here. If he gets caught then there is no possible way that we can get information even if we did capture one of the allies! What’s the point then?” Yeosang demanded and the whole car fell silent. Hongjoong seemed to be thinking it over. “If we give into the want for more information and not be patient, then it is almost certain this plan will backfire and the quest will shred itself into a million pieces. There is no point in using him as bait, Hongjoong: San is too valuable for that. I know you want to save an innocent life, but this isn’t the way. The time will come for us to attack, but for now we have to wait and watch.” Yeosang supplied and Hongjoong bit his lip, torn between Wooyoung’s and Yeosang’s two different views. After a moment, he opened his mouth, but Wooyoung interrupted him before he could speak.

“So, what? We’re just supposed to sit back and wait? Watch while they could be torturing Mrs Choi right now? Patience and strategies are nothing when we know there is an innocent person at the clutches of a murderer and blood-thirsty psychopath.” Wooyoung stated and Yeosang sat up straighter, his back like a steel rod against the black leather of the seat. Right there, sitting and snarling at Wooyoung, Yeosang looked determined and confident with his decision, yet Wooyoung did too. This argument was making my head pound.

“You think you are so right in risking San's life and making these reckless decisions for him when really you are being blinded by hatred that San never deserved!” Yeosang shouted and Wooyoung faltered for a moment, eyes flickering to me briefly before they were back on Yeosang, steady and unwavering. “You are so blinded that you do not see that San is not like any of those people you grew up with. I cannot believe you, Wooyoung ~”

“Believe me? You cannot believe me, Yeosang? Really, Kang? After everything, you think that I’m being like this because of my past! How low do you think of me? This is not about what happened when I was younger — this is about saving an innocent life and if we have to risk his then so be it.” Wooyoung growled and then they started bickering between themselves, the others joining in to try and stop them, but it only added to the noise and growing headache inside my brain. It pounded in my ears like a heartbeat in your wrist.

“Shut up for all of Zeus almighty!” I screamed. They did indeed shut up and all heads turned towards me simultaneously and I gulped, the saliva thick and dry as it slid down my throat. “I’m tired of being pushed around and bothered by people. I never wanted anything like this, so it would be nice if you wouldn’t talk about me like I wasn’t sat ten inches away. I’ll decided the teams, since everyone seems to argue with Hongjoong’s words.” I snarled and they all glanced at each other, all suddenly nervous and anxious except Wooyoung, who was studying me curiously. I ignored him. “Hongjoong will go with Jongho. Yunho with Mingi. Seonghwa with Yeosang and Wooyoung with me. Got it?” I demanded and they nodded. Wooyoung’s smirk grew.

“As you wish, Prince.” Wooyoung whispered, turning away and staring at the back of the driver’s head, who looked like he wasn’t listening, but I was sure he had been. He had been listening and was going to report everything back to Aphrodite: that was if she wasn’t recording and snooping in on us as of right now. I glanced at Wooyoung and scowled.

“Shut it, Jung. I would prefer to be alone, so don’t be an ass hat and get in my way.” I said and Wooyoung’s muscles in his jaw twitched from trying to hide his amusement. The amusement that was driving me insane.

“I wouldn’t even dream of it, Prince.” Wooyoung said. I looked out the window. Staring at the buildings fleeting past, so it would hide the bright blush coating my cheeks like warm honey.


	6. Identities & Corpses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the grammar mistakes <3  
> Enjoy!

The whole car fell silent after Wooyoung's sentence like they were afraid that if they spoke, then the small piece of peace that had bloomed would wither and arguments would rage again. The driver smirked slightly: I could see it in the mirror — the way his lip lifted and his eyebrow raised in amusement. He didn’t say anything, but I could sense the lingering urge to insult us on his tongue: he wanted to push our buttons until we exploded.

This brought him entertainment.

I looked out the window as the car pulled into an abandoned place with narrow houses and shops: each stripped of furniture and wallpaper, the paint peeling from the edges in long faint strips. The windows had cracks and splits, smeared with dirt and grime while the insides of the houses looked just as ragged as the exterior. The shops had the same layout, but there was green, fuzzy spots of mould you could see from outside and neglected cans and cartons of food and drinks. It looked like there was something red and sticky smeared across the inside of one of the shops and I couldn’t help but grimace. Something traumatic had happened here and I didn’t want to know what. I threw the door open before the driver could say something and for the car to completely come to a stop.

Hongjoong made a strangled sound as I jumped out, stumbling a bit from the speed of the car, but straightening upwards and running to the building. I kicked the door open, the door breaking from the harsh impact and striding inside. My eyes wandered around. The streak of red, sticky liquid I had saw was more gut-wrenching up close than it was from inside the car.

A white, dirty aisle barrier was concealing my view of where the smear ended and I slowly inched around it, my eyes widening. There on the floor, lay a body of a child, it’s mouth agape, eyes staring up at the ceiling. The eyes were glossy with death, glimmering with the ghost of the murder. I stumbled back, gasping, breathing coming in long pants, but I couldn’t get rid of the lingering smell and taste of blood in my mouth and nose.

The child had slightly long blonde hair for a boy with thin peachy lips chipped at the corners and a pale complexion from laying here. Probably all night. Its clothes were ripped from where the knife had impaled him and a pool of blood was surrounding him. I clamped my mouth shut, pearly tears filling my eyes. This boy was a child — young and free yet his life had been cut short just as quickly as it had began. I took a step backwards, eyes automatically going to the child again.

I was about to leave when my eyes caught onto something around the boys throat, glistening in the bright man-made lights. Like he was the main act. Shivering, I crept closer and tugged the necklace off his neck, the strain breaking the necklaces, beads spilling out onto the floor. I examined it as I retreated again. It was a gold colour, but tacky and cheap with a heart shaped pendant. It had a huge crack through the middle of the heart and my blood froze into ice, my breath stilling.

The lock clicked as I pressed the little button at the bottom and the heart opened, splitting slowly in half. I gulped as I took out the contents and unfolded it cautiously.

_You'll never realise how many nights I’ve watched you, Choi San. You’ll never even realise the thing you’ve become. Or should I say man? I’m laughing at you right now, did you know that? You used to like putting on that thing when you were young. A hat? It looked more like a rag doll than anything else, but you loved it. Now, this boy: little and innocent followed a stupid nit wit. You, to be exact, Choi San: and I hate it. I hate this boy. He’s only one of my little ploys and only one of my toys. There will be many more like this one. I hope you’re ready to have some fun._

The note wasn’t signed nor did it look like it had any intention of being a crucial piece of evidence. This person had left nothing, no fingerprints or hints except the fact that this wouldn’t be the only kill and murder this person committed. I wasn’t ruling a female out yet because it could be: it could be just about anyone and this person hadn’t only kidnapped my Mother, but killed an innocent child too. And I knew that he wouldn’t stop until absolutely everything that reminded them of me was destroyed.

The others bounded in only when I began unfolding the other piece of paper. It housed a photo of the little boy, but he was way younger and held hands with a little girl with cropped blonde hair and sparkling eyes. The other note slid out of my hand when I recognized the little girl in the picture, her eyes alight with a hint of mischief and cheekiness. The eyes that stared right into my soul, I knew them: I knew them because I saw them every time I looked in the mirror.

My baby sister, Clara, all healthy and young.

Someone screamed and sobbed when they rounded the corner, dropping to their knees and crawling towards the boy. Heartbroken sobs ripped from their mouths and I gulped as I saw who it was. _Wooyoung_. Blood soaked into his jeans and I cast my gaze away from them, turning the photo over and another note was there in black ink.

_I will kill everything you’ve ever known and loved, Choi San. I will kill everyone you’ve met and liked: I’ll erase everything of your sister. Then, I will kill your Mother and the new friends you’ve made in Camp Half-Blood. And I’ll leave you till’ last, so you can watch as everything you’ve ever known was ripped from you._

_— Shadow._

“Zeus almighty.” I whispered, eyes filling with tears. One slid down my cheek and I took a couple of steps back and turned around, shakily exhaling. That child had _died_ because I was alive and breathing: what on _Earth_ did I do to deserve this target on my back? What did _he_ do to be dragged into all of this? I looked down at the photo again and sighed at the face of my sister and the now dead boy just a metre away. Seonghwa snatched the letter from the floor and read it, gaze hardening.

“So, this is all your fault?” Seonghwa demanded, rounding on me and I nodded, sadly, eyes falling to a sobbing Wooyoung cradling the child in his arms and rocking him back and forward. His fingers ran through his bloodied hair as he cried. Seonghwa blinked at my reaction. “S-So, they’re g-going to k-keep killing until you’re dead?” Seonghwa stuttered, quietly. Again, I nodded and Yeosang came up behind Seonghwa, hugging him close as Seonghwa turned and hugged him back, burying his face in his shoulder.

Yunho was gripping Mingi’s hand tightly, knuckles white as his face was turned away. Jongho was biting his lip as Hongjoong clung to his arm, face hidden away from the sight of the dead child. I slowly approached Wooyoung and slid next to him, ignoring the blood soaking into my trousers.

“We’re going to avenge him, Wooyoung.” I murmured, stroking his back soothingly. Wooyoung looked up at me and his eyes were red and puffy from crying, his lips glistening and red were agape in a silent sob that seemed stuck in his throat. Wooyoung slowly lowered the head of the child to the floor and shifted closer to me, burying his face into my neck and wrapping his arms around me as he cried more. I clenched my eyes shut as I stroked his hair.

“I am going to find this person, Wooyoung, I am going to bring justice to him. I promise you this, sweetie, and I won’t fail you.” I whispered. The nickname slipped: it was the same one I used when I was comforting Clara when she used to cry her eyes out day after night when she was told of her cancer. I pursed my lips as the memory and felt Wooyoung shift.

“He was my cousin. His Father, my Uncle, met his Mother when he went to the cinema with my Father. That was when he met my Mother, Demeter. That was also when my Uncle met Doyoung's Mother. They were both Goddesses: my Mother: Demeter and his; Hecate — Goddess of Magic and Witchcraft.” Wooyoung sniffled and my heart clenched painfully. “He was friends with Clara. I recognized her from one of his pictures he had in his room: he was in love with her, did you know that? Adored her. I used to envy him for it some times, but I could tell he loved her with everything he had. Even after she died, he never forgot about her. Now, I just hope they can love each other wherever they are — they deserve every bit of happiness.” Wooyoung mumbled. My eyes settled back onto the boy and I put my hands over his face, closing his eyes silently. Wooyoung watched me do it, quietly, sniffling even as we got up and left the store. My hand was still clutching the locket and I looked down at it, turning it over and examining it closer. What I saw had my face draining of colour.

“Shit.” I cursed then looked up, spotting the car still parked, glittering almost tauntingly in the light. Without further explanation, I sprinted to the car, tucking the locket into my back pocket and when I finally arrived at the car, I banged furiously on the window. The driver only gave me a lazy look in return. I banged harder and the driver finally reached forward, rolling the window down. “Get out of the car.” I growled and he thought for a moment, shaking his head.

“No,” He said, voice taunting, eyes glittering with amusement. His face remained stoic, however, almost like he was hiding something. “I have nothing to give you and you have nothing to ask me of in return. We are nothing, but acquaintances: we just happened to meet each other at this time and I just happened to be on the post to take you to your destination. You don’t really know me and I don’t really know you — you have no right of asking things of me or ordering me around.” He said, cocking an eyebrow. My blood began to boil.

“Like fuck I do.” I said, reaching into the car and unlocking the door, slamming it open. I grabbed him by the collar of the shirt, hauling him out of the car and throwing him to the ground. He stumbled and crashed to the ground, groaning slightly as he looked up at me, eyes dizzy and unfocused. “You know something and you wanna know how **_I_** know?” I demanded. I kneeled down, one knee on his gut as I grabbed his arm and tugged up his sleeve. There was a tattoo in black: bold, but small. It had a dove with an arrow through the middle: the dove looked almost peaceful despite the arrow piercing its skin. I smirked and turned the locket over, pressing the metal against his skin, right next to the tattoo. I had seen the tattoo when he was reaching for the gear stick and it had inprinted itself into my mind ever since. I knew it had some significance and I was right.

“This tattoo is on the back of the locket — the locket that conveniently has the letter of the murderer and the picture of my sister and the victim now laying dead in the store. An innocent life that was _never_ meant to be taken!” I shouted, grabbing his collar again and slamming him back down into the ground. He moaned in pain. “Now, you’re going to tell me how I can find this person and tell me the directions, write them down if you have too, but I refuse to be a pawn in your game of chess.” I hissed and the driver finally focused his gaze on me. The others were silently watching, having saw the exchange and were hesitating to intervene. The driver started to laugh, it was almost hysterical laughter.

"You think you can face her? You think you can outrun her? You think you can beat her and stop her games of torture? Your Mother knew of the dangers when she gave birth to you, Choi San, she knew of these consequences. She knew the future and outcome. If you want someone to blame, blame her. Blame your _own_ _Mother_.” He sneered, then began to laugh again. “My Mistress thinks of you quite fondly, Choi San: she’s going to enjoy making you go insane. She’s going to enjoy tearing every thought out of your mind and twisting it until you are the one who is inflicting those self scars.” He said. He surveyed me then tilted his head to the side in thought.

“Or have you done that already, Choi San? Succumbed to the negative thoughts your mind surrounds itself with? _Ah_ , _yes_ — a young boy prone to being bullied by the students because of his lower class, weak mind and vulnerable state. Everyone just loved to make fun of you, to shred down every thing your little sister praised; your looks and body, smile and posture. They hated you. _You_ _hated_ _yourself_.” He said and I faltered, wincing.

“Shut up.” I hissed, but he didn’t — rather carried on.

“You thought it would end when you left middle school, thought that the little children were too young to understand the physical and mental pain you were going through. They were young and you were mature: far more outgrown than they were. Teachers belittled you, overlooked you — you would go home and cry until your eyes were red. Then you would go back to school and repeat the cycle. This all happened for years and you never stood up to them. Yet, you worked hard to make a name for yourself, but you still failed. People sneered and scoffed when you got your certificate for each of the times you had worked particularly hard. Yet, it was never enough for them to see your worth.” He observed. “You have trust issues that burn inside you; you sometimes blame your Mother for your hardships, but you never hate her. Because she’s the only one you have left.” He said then stared right into my eyes. “Well, reality check, she _hates_ you — _she_ _**betrayed**_ _you_.” He said, chuckling. I brought my fist back and punched him as hard as I could, his head slamming back into the ground from the impact. His eyes drifted closed as he slumped into unconsciousness.

“Damn it.” I muttered, stumbling to my feet and looking around. _There was nothing here. **Nothing.**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love it if you commented what you liked! Also, I'm so excited that Ateez is going to be on Kingdom with The Boyz and Stray Kids. Anyone else as excited as I am?


	7. The Beginning Of Fear

It wasn’t as desolate and isolated as I had made it out to be: at least I still had the others to stand next to me and get rid of the gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach that I was missing something. A clue or a missing piece of the puzzle that would form into a thicker plot.

I guess only time could really tell during the times of fail and victory, loss and gain. Hongjoong glanced around the space before his gaze settled back on me. 

“San, we need to get out of the open — anyone could see us and recognize us. It’s not safe.” Hongjoong explained and I hummed to show that I had heard him, creeping closer to the driver and slipping his sunglasses off. There was a huge scar covering his left eye, slanting across his face, but the whole thing was concealed by the black glasses he constantly wore. I examined the glasses, turning them over, noticing something embedded into the lens.

“San ~” Hongjoong hissed, but I shushed him, putting the glasses on. I gasped. There in front of me was a type of identity file that shifted every time I focused on another person.

_**Kim Hongjoong, Park Seonghwa, Song Mingi, Kang Yeosang ...** _

I breathed out and looked away, down at the body of the driver. His profile appeared with a younger picture of him tainting my sight. 

_**Yang Jaehyun. Military service. Went missing in 2016. Assumed dead. 19 years old. Born 2001, August 29th. Criminal record: none. Reports of physical abuse in adolescent years.** _

My lips tilted downwards. 

“Why are you here, Yang Jaehyun?” I whispered, flipping up his collar. Underneath his collar was a little device that glistened in the slight sunlight hitting it. The frown on my face deepened until it seemed like it had been embedded into my skin for years and now couldn't seem to be rid of. I pushed the glasses upwards until they were resting comfortably on my head and wouldn't move, then leaned closer to get a better look at the device. 

Every few seconds it would flash a red colour, the tiny device pushing bright colours everywhere, the floor being stained with them when it flashed. I breathed in deeply for a moment before suddenly realising what it was, head whipping up as the device began to tick. 

"Go; _run_!" I screamed and the males dispersed, running in different directions and hiding behind trees and building; I even saw Yeosang dart behind a huge block of cardboard. I was about to get to my feet when a thin, bony hand gripped my wrist, stopping me from moving. 

"If I die, Choi San, you're going down with me." He said to me and I stared at him, completely noticing the serious crease on his forehead, the sweat lining his eyelids as if he had been prepping for this his whole entire life. Panic starting to get the best of me, I desperately pulled my wrist away, watching the way Jaehyun scowled. 

The device on his collar had started to get higher pitched, signalling the countdown and my tugs got more jerky and excessive, full-on panic and desperation taking over. It clouded my vision and ran through my veins. Jaehyun smirked and slammed me onto the ground, getting a better grip on my arms, making my slim chance of escaping, decrease little by little. 

"You had a good shot, San, but in the end, you'll always fail in everything you ~" He was cut off by a loud metal thump and Jaehyun fell forward onto me, unconscious. I shoved him to the side in shock; now that he was no longer on top of me, I saw Wooyoung standing over him, scowl on his face, a small yet thick block of metal clutched in his hands. 

"That was for my cousin, bastard." He drawled, eyes clouding over with slight rage, but, then, it was gone as soon as it had come when the pitch of the device got even higher ~ the sound piercing our ears. If it was any higher, I was sure our ears would begin to bleed profusely. "Come on," Wooyoung muttered, not looking at me as he held out his hand for me to take. I pulled myself to my feet and Wooyoung dragged me away, our footsteps fading into loud thumps as we tried to escape the range of the device. 

The device suddenly stopped as Wooyoung and I dived behind an abandoned rusty car. It was silent for a moment until the crushing sound of something blowing up filled the air, smoke floating upwards into a cloud of toxicity. I whimpered at the roaring sound and Wooyoung glanced at me before crawling closer towards me and placing both of his hands over my ears. 

"Close your eyes." He whispered and without hesitation, I let my heavy eyelids slide shut, sighing in relief at the feeling of Wooyoung's fingers twirling the slight strands of hair just above my ears, where his hands were still placed. I couldn't hear the sounds of the explosions, fortunately, and couldn't see anything going on. It was kind of nice on being oblivious ~ it was a nice touch on not knowing something laid out right in front of you. 

After a couple of minutes, Wooyoung took his hands off my ears and clambered to his feet, hopping onto the rusty car. "Guys? Y'all okay?" He shouted and their heads all simultaneously poked out at the same time, Wooyoung climbing off the car and running to hug them. It must've been scary not knowing if they had come out unharmed, especially considering how long they had known each other. 

I crawled out from behind the rusty, old car and reached for the necklace that I had found before faltering at the empty feeling. There was nothing there. I breathed in deeply, trying to calm myself down; _you could've just dropped it. There's no use in overreacting._ I thought to myself, waiting for a moment as I started to calm down slightly. 

_It was Clara's necklace though._ Another part of my brain rationalized and the dam broke, all insecure thoughts flooding through the whole and printing themselves all over my mind. I scampered forward like a young fowl on its hind legs for the first time, tripping and falling towards the place where Jaehyun had been. My knees scraped against the concrete and I coughed at the smoke, the fire of the explosion burning the hairs off my skin. 

"No, no, _no!"_ I shouted, kicking ashes off the floor, seeing Jaehyun's body alight with flames licking his body, eyes unfocused and mouth parted in a terrified expression. I shuddered despite the tantalizing heat and kicked around more until, suddenly, someone was dragging me back, arms enclosing around my waist to stop me from running back inside. 

"Get off me!" I shrieked. "I need to ~ I n-need t-to ~ please, let m-me go b-back ..." I cried, slumping down before spinning around and flinging myself onto the person restraining me from going back inside the fire. I buried my face into their shoulder and sobbed.

"Don't worry, um ... San?" I pulled away, hesitantly, sniffling after a moment, watching Wooyoung reach into his pocket and pulling out the necklace I had been looking for. Gasping, I took the locket tenderly when Wooyoung handed it over to me. 

"Where'd you find it?" I whispered and Wooyoung shrugged, glancing around, totally avoiding eye contact with me for a whole minute. 

"When the male pushed you on the floor and restrained you, it slipped out of your hand. I figured you'd want it since it probably belonged to Clara and was a clue." Wooyoung explained simply, his shoulders pushing upwards into another shrug. I blinked owlishly at him before lunging forward and hugging him. 

"Thank you," I muttered, pulling away quickly and walking away, past the other six demigods giving us curious looks. 

~~~~~~~~~~

When night fell, the sky outside darkening to a deep blue and stars littering the sky, everyone settled onto a car that was much more intact than any others around us. I stood off to the side, a couple of feet away, casting my heavy gaze up to the sky, watching the stars twinkle and shine. 

"I think we should head North," Seonghwa said, pressing against the thin layer of questions on what to do next. Hongjoong shifted slightly on the car's roof, folding his legs beneath him. 

"No, Seonghwa. I think we should head South because that creature that took San's Mother was at San's _house_ which was down _South_." Hongjoong disagreed and I stared at the place the previous fire had been raging; the others had somehow found a way to stop the fire from spreading and now there was nothing but a layer of ash staining the floor and the putrid smell of burning flesh in the air. 

"Joong, San's Mother was taken days ago." Seonghwa reminded, making Hongjoong mutter distastefully to himself. "We have no idea if the creature stayed or not at the house. Besides, North is our best bet because while you all were fussing in following San when he ran off, I chatted with our driver before swiping these." Seonghwa pulled out a notebook and a phone. He flipped it open and turned it on, making Yunho jump forward. 

"Hyung, you know we can't use technology; it sends out a signal where we are ~ it's a beacon for _monsters!"_ Yunho let out and Seonghwa ruffled his hair with a tight-lipped smile. 

"Relax, Yunho. If Jaehyun uses it, it's perfectly fine. While chatting with Jaehyun, I found out the Jaehyun is actually a demigod that used to go to Camp Half-Blood. While on a quest, he went missing and hasn't been heard of since: I remember reading about it in one of the Half-Blood files." Seonghwa explained. Yunho settled back with an uneasy expression while Yeosang raised an eyebrow at the elder. 

"So, what are you going to do with it?" Yeosang asked and Seonghwa stared down at the device for a moment before shrugging. 

"I don't know." He said, frowning slightly at the metal thing he had in his hand. He shook his head. "But, the notebook is the most useful thing now," Seonghwa told them. "This notebook has basically everything written down; I think the driver thought that it was going to burn everything in the explosion ~" 

"No." I interrupted and they all turned to look at me; I kept my focus on the stars. "No, he ~ _they_ ~ wanted you to find it; he would've noticed it was gone when you took it. He sat in that car for around fifteen minutes, waiting for us to come back out. All of this was planned." I said, seeing Jongho frown. 

"Why?" He questioned, perplexed.

"Because she's messing with me. They're messing with me; what Jaehyun said before was true; I really do not match for her smarts and confidence because I have barely enough self-value to hold a stare with a stranger for thirty seconds. Jaehyun wanted us to find the body, so he slowed down; he wanted me to see the note and figure it all out. He's using us; she's using me _again_." I said, turning to the shop we had found Wooyoung's cousins body in.

"Again?" Mingi muttered to himself and I glanced at him before nodding. 

"I didn't realise it at the time, but years ago, when I was still homeless, an old woman approached me on the streets. She asked my name and where I lived, why wasn't I with my parents and family? What was I doing alone? Questions like that. I didn't answer and walking away, but the next day, she continued to pester me and prod me for information. Until one day, I told her my name out of frustration and then she disappeared into thin air.

I've always felt the second pair of eyes watching me wherever I go. She knew the places I frequently stole food and drink from and she used it to her advantages; she put little trinkets and notes only I would spot. It was her own little game ~ I didn't see her face to face until only a year later, but she was much younger. She looked she had gotten younger more than growing older and it was so creepy. She haunted my dreams for years and now, she's somehow finding a way to inflict pain onto me still." I finished. Wooyoung smiled sadly. 

"At least you had your Mother during that time and now you have us," Wooyoung told me and I blinked owlishly at him before tilting my head slightly to the side. Wooyoung had been mean and cold in the beginning, so why was he suddenly being nice and soft? I admit I didn't really trust Wooyoung as much as I trusted Yeosang and Hongjoong; I didn't know where the others stood at the moment.

I cleared my dry throat and licked my lips in thought. "I guess," I muttered, turning my attention back onto the sky as the other seven continued to discuss what we were going to do now seeing as we had no ride, no food or water and no plan on where we were actually heading too. It was a little overwhelming if I was being honest; we didn't know what would happen in the future. 

"Alright, let's just sleep for now and in the morning, we'll start heading North," Hongjoong said, before leaning backwards after a moment and closing his eyes. Jongho shuffled next to him, letting the elder curve into him, an arm being flung around his waist. They seemed comfy together. I watched them for a moment as everyone got comfortable, getting ready for sleep. 

I sighed and took a step backwards, sinking to the floor and letting my back hit the rusty car with a soft thump. Closing my eyes, I tried to succumb to slumber, but my mind and body wouldn't allow me to rest, constantly humming with a small thrum of adrenaline. 

My eyelids slid open at the sound of soft snores, rocking me back into reality. Someone slid down next to me. 

"You have to try and sleep sparkle fingers," Wooyoung said and I glanced at him with an unamused expression while he snickered into his hand. His laugh was ... endearing to say the least. "I know it's hard with everything that's happened today, but you managed to sleep yesterday, so you can now," Wooyoung said and I sighed, pulling my knees to my chest.

"I can't," I whispered. Wooyoung analyzed my face for a moment before smiling softly. 

"Lay down; put your head in my lap," Wooyoung told me, quietly and I turned to gape at his forwardness; he gestured down to his lap.

"I ~ I don't think that's ~"

"Oh, come on, San, I know you're not going to be getting to sleep anytime soon; I used to be just like you when I first joined Camp Half-Blood. Just give me a chance." Wooyoung said, eyes going wide in a puppy look. "Trust me." He pleaded and with a bit of hesitation, I laid down, head falling into his lap and serving lie some sort of pillow. 

"Now close your eyes." He said and I obeyed quickly unlike before; eyelids falling shut. "I'm going to sing for you and hopefully you'll fall asleep." He said, fingers running through my hair. I hummed at the feeling and Wooyoung started to sing softly, his voice sending a wave of exhaustion over me. 

I didn't realise how exhausted I was until a few minutes into Wooyoung's singing, I felt blackness cover me and was fast asleep in a deep slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the grammatical mistakes.  
> Hope you enjoyed! <3


	8. The Beginning Of Fear Pt.2

I woke up to the soft snores of Wooyoung, my head on his lap in a rather intimate position that I would've rather avoided. _Immensely_. Blinking up at the clear blue sky, I waited until I could hear some movement going on whether it was to my left or right. No one seemed to be awake yet, so I picked myself up and off Wooyoung's lap; the said male was still sleeping soundly, mouth agape slightly. 

I stared at Wooyoung's face for a moment, scrutinising his features. His almost honey skin that was both delicate and bold — it seemed to draw a certain amount of attention. Especially because everything about the male contrasted perfectly with the rest of him. His blond hair — usually styled perfectly — was now a mess in the wind, strands flying everywhere. His eyes that were currently closed, were a honey colour and overall, mesmerising.

If Wooyoung had tried to seduce anyone, I'd doubt anyone would put up much of a fight ~ especially when Wooyoung looked this perfect. 

I frowned slightly at my thoughts while I brushed the dirt off my clothing; the ground was muddy, but the dry mud was cracked, caked in a layer of dust. I allowed myself one last look at Wooyoung before turning away and marching towards where everyone else was sleeping on the car.

They were all curled together and no one seemed to have fallen off, which was a relief in itself. Seonghwa and Yeosang were pressed against each other just like Jongho and Hongjoong while Mingi and Yunho were spread out along the back of the car, facing the opposite way from each other. 

Looking at them, I felt a dull sense of sadness; seeing how much they cared about each other truly hit me in the stomach, caving out my chest. It was like watching a beautiful family together and knowing you're never going to be apart of it. Knowing that there's a chance, but you're really not ready, not willing to take the leap of faith and test the waters. Because it's out of your comfort zone and no one — not even the thought of a new family or new friends — could change how you've been living your life. 

With a deep sigh, I looked around, pondering our surroundings and where we could possibly be. When Jaehyun had dropped us off, in a sense, he hadn't spoken a word about where they were or exactly where they were heading and when they would arrive. Thinking back on it, it only infuriated me more, so I took a step towards the buildings. There's got to be food in there somewhere, right? 

I carefully opened the door, wincing at the creaking sound resonating through the silence before slipping inside. It seemed no one had been here in weeks, but everything seemed in relatively good condition for it having been abandoned. The shelves were still sturdy and the food was still in order. 

Letting the door fall shut, I explored the store, grabbing a bag and filling it with food that wasn't out of date and was actually edible. I then went to the freezers and grabbed some ice-cream — because everyone needs ice-cream — and bottles of water; I was surprised that the freezers even worked at all. Once everything had been accounted for, I pictured a small locker sized keeping space and extended my arm, shoving the bag forward and watching it disappear into thin air. I smiled.

"What the fuck?" Someone whispered, harshly and I turned to see Seonghwa rubbing his eyes while Yeosang stood next to him, equally as shocked and confused. "How did you do that..? You're not... you're not a child of Hecate... the children of Zeus can't do those things." Seonghwa stuttered and I rubbed the back of my neck, embarrassed. 

"Surprise, I guess?" I joked and at Yeosang's and Seonghwa's unimpressed looks, I sighed. "Look, I'll explain it when they're all awake and we're off on the road. I don't like lingering in the same place for too long... it sets me on edge. I feel really uneasy." I told them and Yeosang simply turned, sauntering out of the door. 

"Come on then, losers, we've got a bunch of logs to wake up!" Yeosang singsonged with less than an enthusiastic delight. Seonghwa stared at him longingly while I snorted, rolling my eyes at both of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The others woke up with just as much enthusiasm and happiness as Yeosang had thought; which in short, was _nothing._ Mingi and Wooyoung as well as Hongjoong, were the hardest to wake up, the trio desperately clinging to their slumber and shaking away anyone who came so little as two metres towards them. I thought it was funny the way Mingi and Hongjoong would try and curl into the people they were cuddling with in the night, only for those people to blink away their exhaustion and leave them, cold and stroppy. 

Yunho and Jongho were much easier to wake up; Yunho was just happy constantly and when he woke up, it wasn't much different. His eyes seemed to shine even when he was blinking up at the sky while trying to remember where exactly he was. Jongho was the exact opposite: he got up, but he still looked dead inside, refusing to open his eyes an extra inch and stumbling into cars and people. Seonghwa sighed at the sight, shaking his head while tutting to himself. 

"They never do learn." Seonghwa muttered. "If they wanted to go on this damn mission so badly, then at least _try_ and wake up at a normal time." Seonghwa scolded at a tired Jongho as he walked past, only to climb up onto an abandoned car and curl up, yawning. 

"Yah!" Yeosang shouted, scaring me as he poked Jongho. It seemed that this was a common occurance as Jongho peeled his eyes open and stared at Yeosang with a pleading look.

"Ten more minutes, hyung." Jongho begged and Yeosang shook his head, grabbing Jongho's arms and hauling him off the car, placing him on his own two feet. For a son of Aphrodite, Yeosang was quite strong; his other siblings looked like they would break in half if they so much as picked up a branch from a tree. 

"Nope," Yeosang said. "San has some explaining to do!" Yeosang exclaimed, gaining the others attention, their sleep deprived stated shocking awake at the statement. 

"Why?"Hongjoong asked curiously and Seonghwa climbed onto the car they had been sleeping on, settling down. 

"Because San can do magic." Seonghwa explained. Wooyoung's mouth fell open and I scowled at Seonghwa. 

"You make it sound as if doing magic is a sin." I said, lowly then shook my head, running a hand through my hair and walking past the car they were all — minus Wooyoung — sleeping on the previous night, hearing their calls of protest of getting up and walking so early in the morning. "I told you guys I would explain while we walked — this place is not safe and I don't want to be a San-shiscabob right now." I told them, as I advanced down the road and towards the forest in the distance.

"Wait!" Yunho shouted and their thundering feet were heard on the pavement as they chased after me. I ignored their shouts and desperate plea's to lay down for ten more minutes — _Jongho —_ and carried on walking, sniffing the air slightly when a fresh gush of wind blew my hair back and stung my eyes. 

"How did you do it?" Was the first thing Seonghwa demanded as the other seven rushed to my side, three to my right and the other four to my left. Seonghwa's gaze was like fire on my skin, prickling uncomfortably like he could see all my flaws and what I was lacking in, what I refused to talk about and the different masks I hid behind — it was like he could see it all as if my heart and soul was sewn on my shoulder. His gaze felt powerful, threatening even. 

"I ~" I cut myself off, pondering on how to explain it in a not-so-crazy way, but then again, nothing was crazy in this world. The fact that we were all sons of gods and goddesses proved just as much. They all watched me think for a moment. "My Mother was a very perceptible woman; she was very smart and observant. Her mind was capable of seeing things through thick layers of lies and deceits; she always knew when someone was lying or faking something. She had basically mastered the human body and movements, their fidgets and little actions that made them nervous — she was ... _incorruptible_. Nothing could phase her. 

She told me when I was younger, that as I grew into a handsome man, I would have to see when someone was lying for if I couldn't, it could put me in more danger than I knew. And I guess she was right. I loved my Mother, loved for everything she stood for and her resilience; her mind and smarts was something I envied and wished for. She told me that the mind was the most lethal weapon a person had; _anything_ was possible if someone put their minds to it.

When I first saw her use her magic, I was twelve; I really thought that I was seeing things, but my Mother saw that something was bothering me. I still remember her ushering me into the kitchen, asking me what was wrong. When I finally spilt what I had seen — how I thought that I was delusional and crazy — she just giggled and hugged me tightly, asking me if I remembered how she would ask me if I used my head before I acted. I told her I did because that was what she had told me to do; I loved her and would do anything for her, so naturally, I did what she asked.

She then told me that her magic was an ancient kind of magic; buried deep within me and that I would have to learn, adapt and harness that hidden power to fully under its capabilities. I asked her what she meant, questioned her profoundly, but she would always smile a secret smile and tell me that I would know in time. When I was older. She said it ran through my blood; that my ancestors had the same powers and would continuously hide it from the world because they would perish if they ever let it slip. Die for witchcraft.

I asked her to teach me what she could do and so, she did. She taught me how to control my abilities and how they worked, she told me how my family have had the powers in their blood for centuries upon centuries and that her parents had taught her too as well as her great grandparent before that. It was our history. It was our _life,_ our family tree was influenced by it. I just didn't think that this part of my life would ever come close to this much pain and suffering." I told the others, hands clenching as my fingernails made crescent cuts on my palms. The others stared at me for a moment, some of their eyes held confusion and unhidden curiousity not bounded by thick chains of hesitance.

"So, your family are ... _witches_ ... _wizards_ essentially?" Hongjoong finally spoke and I nodded, watching them warily as Mingi stopped for a second, everyone halting with him. He had a frown on his face, eyebrows creased. 

"You're a _wizard_ ...?" He demanded and I shrugged because even I didn't know if that was what this type of thing was referred to as. His frown flattened out and a dazzling smile spread across his face. "That's so _awesome!"_ Mingi exclaimed, nudging Yunho, who was staring at the latter with a fond expression. "Isn't it cool, Yunho?" Mingi questioned, excitedly and Yunho nodded softly. 

"Yeah," He breathed and I rolled my eyes beginning to set off again. "Beautiful." He whispered and I didn't even have to turn around to know he wasn't talking about me, but rather Mingi himself. Mingi didn't seem to notice as he bounded next to me, chatting animatedly, asking me questions about what it was like to have magic and how it influenced my life in different ways. 

I tuned his rant out, ignoring him completely as we continued our journey.

~~~~~~~~~~

The leaves cracked underneath us and for a moment, I stopped, playing with the hem of my t-shirt. The others didn’t seem to pick up on any noise like I had done and I blamed it on the loud chatter. Now wasn't the time to be happy and relaxed; we had to be guarded and cautious. 

"Ssh." I hissed and Wooyoung turned to glare at me, placing his hands on his hips as a stern expression broke out onto his face. I turned away from him as he started to scold and insult me, closing my eyes for a while, trying to focus on the noise coming from the distance rather than what was close to me. 

_A twig snapped._

_A click._

_A whoosh._

My eyes snapped open and I dived at Wooyoung, tackling him to the ground, groaning in pain when the knife grazed my face, skimming a cut onto my cheek, shallow, but long. Blood dribbled down my face. 

"Get down!" I cried and the others dropped to the ground as more weapons were thrown at us, guns and knives, rocks and metal objects. I lifted my head, staring down at Wooyoung, who was looking up at me through wide, terrified eyes, and then I rolled off the male, crawling to a tree a few feet away, being careful to hide all my body from the oncoming attacks. 

"Get behind the trees and to shelter." I hissed at Hongjoong, who nodded mutely, the smaller scrambling behind the tree furthest away, gesturing for the others to follow; Wooyoung had his gazed fixed on me as Yeosang disappeared behind a thick branch, Mingi following soon after. "Go." I muttered, but Wooyoung shook his head, hair blowing back and exposing his smooth forehead. 

"I'm not leaving you." He said, desperately and I growled lowly at him, jerking my finger at the tree in an attempt to get him to get to safety, but again, he shook his head and fixed me with an intense stare. Looking away, I cursed to myself as another shot was fired, the bullet grazing my shoulder and burying itself in the dirt. I cried out weakly, Wooyoung gasping and trying to shuffle towards me. 

_"Go,_ Wooyoung, _go_ _now."_ I begged and Wooyoung hesitated before crawling behind the trees that the others had disappeared behind. Hongjoong poked his head around the tree and frantically waved at me to hurry over, but I ignored him and his eyes when they widened as they took in my injured state — Wooyoung most likely whispering what had happened in his ear. 

I cautiously got to my feet before starting to climb the tree I was half concealed behind, my right shoulder burning in pain when any weight or force was applied to it. Shuffling into a dip on the tree, I allowed my back to rest against the thick trunk. I focused on the sounds and where they were coming from before picturing a small space and a weapon, reaching into thin air and pulling out a bow and arrow. The fabric of time and space closed, my hands working before my mind could catch up and then I was aiming and firing into the distance, a howl of pain cutting through the air. 

Sensing the others eyes on me, I jumped to the ground when things stopped flying our way — no more weapons neither any more danger — the others scrambling out from behind the trees. They were focused on what was going on and I pulled out another arrow, taking aim and letting the arrow fly; it seemed to hit its mark for another scream of pain tore through the air. Yunho flinched backwards and I dropped the bow and arrow to the ground, squeezing my hands, clenching them and then unclenching them. 

I couldn’t see my attackers, but they could see me; it was like they were hunting us and I _hated_ it. I _hated_ the scratchy feeling and how the hairs on the back of my neck tingled everytime I got even a small smidge of someone watching me.

Focusing on the power coursing through my veins, adrenaline and energy pumping through my blood and around my body, I let out a scream, the sound reverberating around the underbrush. 

Huge gusts of wind pushed into the opposite direction, tearing trees down and out of their roots. Lightning struck the ground, the thunder crackled through the sky as the shooters were finally revealed, two bodies already on the floor, bleeding out, two others crowded around them. My body slumped slightly and Hongjoong set off into a sprint, heading towards the strangers, Wooyoung grabbing ahold of my arm and dragging me along with them. 

My head started to throb.

"Who are you?" Seonghwa demanded when we arrived at their side. They were all dressed up in black, which brought out a bout of panic in me, something that tore up my throat and burned my skin from the inside out. Their faces were covered by masks, only their dead black eyes glinting in the sunlight was seen to the outside world — it seemed to be a safety precaution for whoever they worked for: so their boss couldn't be connected with his little minions.

Wooyoung shivered and shuffled backwards a few steps, hands still tightly clutched around my thin arm. One of the guys looked up, eyes focused on Jongho, before he pulled down his mask and gruffly spoke;

"To bring him back to his Mother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the grammatical mistakes.  
> Hope you enjoyed! <3


	9. Jongho's Fear

The air stilled for a moment, Jongho and the others staring at the man with understanding — Jongho's eyes flickering with burning fear, spreading throughout his face and through his body, muscles becoming tight with tension. Wooyoung's arm tightened and I carefully loosened his grip, taking a step forward and grabbing the male by the collar, dragging him to his feet. 

"Why?" I demanded. The male stared at me for a while, not speaking, studying me it seemed. The other one not bleeding was trying to stop the blood flow of the others, hands pressed down on their chest; the arrows had been pulled out and was laying on the ground next to the injured bodies. 

"Because, his Mother insisted and we never go against Madam Choi." He said, eyes focused on my face. "Madam Choi's expectations are not meant to be broken, her rules are not meant to be destroyed, just as her demands aren't meant to be ignored." He told me. I eyed him, warily. 

"Why?" I demanded again and he smiled, softly, eyes turning glassy with emotions. 

"Because if we defy her, our families die." He said, sadly and I let go of his dirty clothes, letting him drop and then get to his feet. "We didn't want this — we've _never_ wanted _this_ , but when Madam Choi tells us something, we _have_ to follow it. I ... I have a little girl ..." He whispered, and I took a step back like his words burned my skin, watching the way he cowered back. This man was broken just like the others. The others that I had just shot and were now bleeding on the floor had family and I hadn't even thought of it when I had started shooting - is this what the world had come too? Or was that just one of the many downfalls of being a demigod?

"I — I ... we have to go." I muttered and let Wooyoung clutch back onto me, feeling that I needed the support and warmth of another person more than every right now. Jongho stepped over the fallen bodies of the males, face pale, but hard with no emotions present and I could understand the way he felt. Conflicted on the inside but ultimately knowing that if we hadn't let them go without a fight then we would be dead right now, Jongho being taken prisoner and being forced to do whatever he had done previously in his life before he had found out he was a demigod. Wooyoung's grip tightened as we turned to walk away, but the male was suddenly in front of Jongho, foaming black at the mouth.

"Jongho, you wouldn't leave us, would you? You promised ..." He hissed and Jongho scrambled back, tripping over the legs of one of the fallen, stumbling to the floor. His eyes shone with terror at the male with black painting from his face, pouring out of his mouth and his nose, down his ears and from the edges of his eyes. Wooyoung screamed when one of the fallen soldiers I had shot rose from the ground, previously red blood turning black in an instant, the whole of his eyes turning white as he advanced towards us. I shielded Wooyoung, who cowered back, hiding his face in my shoulder; I felt his warm breath turn shaky and focused on the air, reaching into the fabric of the atmosphere, pulling out a sword and training it on the white-eyed demon soldier.

"Stay back," I warned and Wooyoung screamed as he was tore away from me and into the arms of one of the soldiers. I took a quick step back, surveying the scene and seeing Seonghwa and Hongjoong fighting off some soldiers, more experienced than the others just like Yeosang, meanwhile Mingi and Yunho were having a hard time standing up for themselves against the demons. Wooyoung, however, had practically no training and I was sure of it with the way he was shaking and trembling, eyes unfocused and it was such a contrast from the cocky male I had seen the previous days, that I would have to see just how far my assumptions of Wooyoung were wrong. Hearing Wooyoung scream once more, I dived at the demon, tackling the duo to the ground and Wooyoung rolled away, quickly scrambling back. I wrestled with the demon, his teeth grazing my arm and I cried out in pain, feeling the numbness shock its way through my system - I grabbed its hair and yanked it forward before slamming it back down onto the floor, hearing the crack of its skull as it broke against the impact. Shivering, I pulled myself to my feet and ran to Wooyoung, shielding him from the sudden attacks that rained down on him, claws and teeth sinking into my back.

"San!" Wooyoung cried, seeing my face contort in pain and the agonised gasp that left my lips. Suddenly, the pain stopped and I glanced behind me in exhaustion, seeing Seonghwa and Hongjoong working like a well-oiled machine, cutting down the demons one by one until there was only a certain demon left. The one that had spoken to Jongho; the male in question was cowered against the tree farthest from the fight, head buried in his knees and he shook with fear or panic, I couldn't tell. For once, the seemingly incorruptible Choi Jongho had been corrupted by terror and that fact was more scary than the demons themselves. 

"Jongho!" Yeosang barked and Jongho looked up, cheeks wet and eyes red and my heart stopped for a second. Whatever had happened in Jongho's past had been bad enough that this event brought back way too many unforgettable, horrible memories Jongho didn't want to remember. The ones you stored in the back of your mind, locked away with the key thrown down an endless wishing well, wishing that the memories wouldn't resurface again — Jongho's wish, however, was not fulfilled. Unfortunate, but it was the reality of the situation. "Get up, for all of Hades and stop being a complete and utter fool!" Yeosang shouted and Jongho stared at him with wide eyes, the others doing the same. My head snapped to Yeosang at his harsh tone and my eyes narrowed into thin slits. 

"Yeosang ~" Hongjoong warned and Yeosang sent Hongjoong a glare, rendering him utterly speechlees; Yeosang had only ever been kind and supportive and now that he was the one trying to push negative views into someone's mind with the way they were trying to handle their past pain was so entirely unlike the Yeosang everyone knew. 

"No, Hongjoong, you listen to me!" Yeosang said and then turned to Jongho, placing his hands on his hips, cocking his head to the side. "Why the fuck do you act all strong if you can't take this?" Yeosang demanded and Jongho looked down at the floor, ashamed, looking like Yeosang was drilling an imaginary nail deeper and deeper into his mentality and confidence, plucking the small strands left from his fingertips. 

"Sangie ~" Seonghwa started, his eyes glittering menacingly and Wooyoung took a slight step back, intimidated by the sight in front of him more than he would care to admit. I had seen the amount of times he had teased Seonghwa and the fact that he was slightly intimidated, even just a little bit, could give Seonghwa power over him for a long time. 

"No!" Yeosang burst out, holding his hands up in the air. "You act so strong, Jongho and that's because you _are_ for all of Zeus almighty! You're the strongest person I've ever had the pleasure to meet and sure there are setbacks and _sure_ this uncovers memories you hate, but pick yourself off the ground, man! You beat all of us in arm wrestling and that counts for something, right? You're a son of Ares; start acting like it, Jongho, go full ape!" Yeosang shouted and Jongho stared at him for a moment, not fully processing what Yeosang was saying and Yeosang sighed, ignoring the shocked looks of the others — Yeosang had done a full one-eighty from what we originally thought his approach was which was to bring Jongho down. I felt guilt streak through me at the thought; Yeosang was so kind and caring that anything other than that was just plain and utter nonsense. Why would Yeosang even think about saying something bad to Jongho? By the faces of the others, they were thinking and feeling the exact same way I was.

"Okay. Yeah ~ okay."

~/~/~

Once Jongho was calmed five minutes later, Hongjoong stepped forward and studied the creature in front of him, Yunho and Mingi holding the arms of the demon down. When Seonghwa took a step forward and leaned in too close, the demon snapped his jaws and Seonghwa jerked away, swinging his dagger, slicing a thin line across the demons cheek. It bled black.

"What _is_ it?" Wooyoung asked, still clutching onto my arm and it seemed as if he had taken safehaven on my body, as if the warmth of my flesh was the only thing keeping him grounded. Hongjoong hummed, peering closer and the demon growled warningly, dead eyes glaring at Hongjoong. 

"It's Jongho's worst fear." I spoke up and they all turned towards me, Seonghwa's eyebrows raising up his forehead. I glanced at Jongho. "Isn't that right, Jongho? This thing is your worst nightmare, or at least the embodiment of it." I asked and Jongho gulped, Adam's apple bobbing and then he nodded, Yeosang's face paling. It seemed as though he was starting to regret shouting at Jongho now, knowing what was actually going on and why he seemed like he hadn't been able to move from the same spot. 

"Yes." Jongho breathed and I stepped forward, bringing Wooyoung with me and he stifled a gasp when I reached into thin air and tugged out a sword, swinging it around my fingers before holding it out to Jongho. 

"Here." I said and Jongho's eyes widened, shaking his head frantically. "Take it. Kill it." I said and Jongho shook his head once more. I sighed, whispering to Wooyoung to let me go and he did so hesitantly, before I took a step forward and pointed the sword at Jongho's neck. "Look at me." I said, voice hard and Jongho glanced up before looking down straight again. 

"San, what ~" 

"Quiet." I said and they quietened down. I jabbed the sword into the place just below Jongho's chin and he winced, drawing back. "Look at me!" I snarled and Jongho whimpered, drawing back once more, curling inwards on himself. "You're weak, Jongho. Weak. _Pathetic."_ I snapped and Wooyoung gasped, turning to me with wide eyes and a hurt face.

"You don't mean that." Wooyoung breathed and I frowned.

"I mean every single word." I said, placing the swords tip on Jongho's jaw and scraping it downwards, so that there was a bright red line, blood dripping down his cheek. "You're puny and weak, you don't deserve to carry Ares name behind you." I growled and Jongho shook more, hands balling up and I noticed that this time he wasn't shaking from fear, but from anger. "You're weak and idiotic, Ares would turn his back on you every chance he gets ~" I let out a breath of surprise when Jongho lunged at me, eyes alight with rage and he hit me across the face; once, then twice then three times. 

"San! Jongho!" Hongjoong cried and I stayed pliant underneath Jongho, wiggling my arm out and holding up a hand when Seonghwa and Hongjoong made a move to pull Jongho off of me. Jongho hit me again and I felt my lip bust open, my back burning and my left eyebrow being slit open from Jongho's calloused knuckles. After a moment, Jongho calmed down and sat, panting, his eyes taking in the damage he had done before he stumbled back. 

"I ~" I interrupted him by chucking the sword at him and he caught it between nimble fingers, staring down at it, eyes unfocused.

 _"Kill_ **it."** I said and Jongho looked at the demon, hesitating and I hissed through my teeth. "It's either you kill him and face your damn fears or it kill you and then us." I said and Jongho glanced back to my sprawled figure on the floor and then nodded, taking a few steps forward until he was in front of the demon. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you that day." Jongho whispered, before plunging the sword into the demons heart, his eyes rolling backwards in his head. His body burst into a bright ray of light, dust particles parting into the shape of butterflies and they flew upwards to the sky, almost as if thanking Jongho for ridding them of their pain and suffering. Jongho looked utterly speechless, eyes staring at the sky in awe, shoulders no longer tight with the weight being forced upon them. I sat up slightly and coughed silently in my hand, seeing blood come up and I winced, wiping the liquid on my trousers.

"Are you okay?" Yeosang asked, seemingly remembering me laying on the floor and I nodded up at him, struggling to my feet and then promptly falling sideways into the tree. My eyes swam and then they cleared taking in the sight in front of me in confusion. 

"Uh, guys ... why is their a god standing there?" I asked and Yeosang whipped around, staring at the god in fright and surprise, mixed with wonder and awe because it wasn't every single day you met a god, let alone a powerful one by that. The male smelt like the ocean and I sniffed once, deciding that this was definitely Poseidon, god of the sea. Hongjoong bowed lowly, whispering his greetings, but Poseidon's eyes were focused on me, eyes flickering to the sky every once in a while. 

"These aren't your quests, boy." He said and I raised an eyebrow at him, questioning what he was talking about and he sighed, looking at the trees in the distance. "These are tests against oneself and you pushing people into facing that will not help, they have to find it within thyself to fight their demons ~"

"Ones demons aren't meant to be fought alone." I interrupted and Poseidon stared at me for a moment before he closed his eyes and suddenly, I was dripping wet, stumbling back in shock. It was like Poseidon had dumped a bucket or stream of imaginable water from the sky, dowsing me like a wet dog. I shook my hair out of my eyes and heard Poseidon mutter to himself for a moment. 

"All of your wounds are healed, Choi San, do not make me regret my decisions." Poseidon growled, forcing me to nod out an answer. "Continue heading North, to the Northern Sea. There you will find one of my familiars, she will take you to your next destination." Poseidon spoke, staring me right in the eyes and I nodded once more. 

"Alright." I said, clenching my eyes shut when Poseidon started to glow, turning my head away as the light burned my face like the boiling hot sun on a sweltering day. When I turned back, Poseidon was gone and only the shocked faces of the others were to be seen. Hongjoong took a deep breath. 

"Now, what the fuck just happened?" 


	10. Camping

_A young male stood on the threshold of the house, staring into the horizon as though mesmerised; this place that he had longed to live in for so long was now his. The building cast a shadow over him, basking him in coldness, but a comforting one that he had come to love and adore. The usual warmth was replaced by a chill that he welcomed wholeheartedly._

_He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned, being met with the sight of a young male and in the male's arms, was a little baby girl. She was wrapped in a purple blanket, soft to the touch and the man standing, staring in the distance, smiled down at the baby._

_"Hey, darling." He whispered, reaching forward and gently taking the baby out of the other male's arms, rocking her back and forward gently. "Daddy's taking great care of you, I see." He hummed, glancing down at the male with adoration, the latter just smiling softly at the scene._

_"She missed you, baby." The soft voice of the younger said, taking a step forward and slinging his arms around the elders waist, tugging him closer carefully, watching the baby for any signs of distress. When he saw none, he sighed and buried his face in the elders neck, nuzzling his cheek against the others milky skin._

_"I missed her too." The male murmured, leaning down slightly to press a chaste kiss to the little girl's forehead, seeing her move slightly in her sleep. Then, the elder placed a kiss to the male's lavender hair, on the crown of his hair where a ring of flowers usually resided, but weren't present in the hours of the early morning._

_"I missed you, San." The youngster whispered and San sighed, clutching the male to his chest and watching as the male raised his head, locking eyes with his own._

_"I missed you too, Wooyoung." San said, kissing him on the lips gently, addicted to his lavender scent and honey tasting lips. "My precious flower."_

_~/~/~_

I jerked awake, pushing my body upwards and I stumbled to my feet, rushing behind a tree and puking up the limited amount of food I had in the past few days. Ever since Poseidon's visit, we had been heading North, towards the Northern Sea, but it was taking a while; Jongho had been too shaken up after his run in with his past demons and everyone else was just too tired and exhausted to carry on walking.

Seonghwa had told everyone that the Northern Sea was quite a long way away, and that we should sit tight for it would take at least a few days to even get to the ocean. To even hear the waves would take at least another day and a half. Knowing that, it didn't make the feeling in my gut loosen and my stomachs' content went onto the floor, stinking up the little space. 

"Having fun?" I spat out the vile taste of vomit and turned to see who had spoken. It was Seonghwa, sharpening his small dagger on a piece of hard rock; it kind of resembled flint, but I wasn't sure with the way it was shaped. Seonghwa had an eyebrow raised in my direction as he dragged the dagger across the rocks edge once more. 

"Does it look like puking your guts up is fun?" I demanded and Seonghwa tilted his head at me, chucking the rock down on the floor. He leant forward on his knees, staring at me intently. 

"Why don't we know anything about you?" Seonghwa asked and I faltered for a moment, wondering just what Seonghwa was getting at. The memories of my dreams came back to me then and I gulped down the feeling of puking once more, holding myself back.

"Because, my past isn't something to be meddled with." I simply said and Seonghwa just chuckled, spinning the dagger around in his fingers. The others were still asleep, soft snoring coming from one of them and I assumed that the reason Seonghwa wasn't joining them, was because he was a self-voluntered look out for danger.

"You like meddling in others pasts though, don't you?" Seonghwa mused and my eyes snapped to him, biting the inside of my cheek to stop from spitting profanities at him. Seonghwa was smart, that so was obvious in the way he looked at people and the way he held himself, mentally, physically and emotionally. However, I was pretty sure that Seonghwa wasn't a child of Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. 

"No." I hissed, but Seonghwa just chuckled to himself, throwing the dagger in the air and catching it by its hilt every single time.

"No?" He mused, chucking the dagger in the air once more before he suddenly stopped playing around with it, turning his intense gaze onto me, smile falling. "You do, Choi, and you can't even deny it. Joong, Sangie and everyone else may trust you but I don't — there's a fire within you that is unmatched to everyone elses, it's too fuelled and uncontrollable." Seonghwa said, getting to his feet gracefully, staring down at me. I curled backwards into myself and watched as he turned his back on me and walked to the other side of the deemed camping spot, leaning against a tree with his back faced the way I was standing. 

Glancing around, I grabbed onto the branch and climbed up the tree, hooking my arms around the branch I desired to plop onto and used my arms strength to maneuver onto the wood. Once I was safety seated, I leant back and closed my eyes, letting soft slumber wash over me. 

I didn't dream of anything after that.

~/~/~

I woke up to shouting. Someone sounded absolutely terrified and panicked and I pulled myself upwards, staring down at the campsite whilst tilting my head to the side, watching the way everyone except Seonghwa was searching underneath logs and behind trees, seemingly searching for something. 

"Where did he go? The forest is huge hyung, what are we going to do?" Wooyoung demanded, staring right at Hongjoong in anxiousness, but Hongjoong seemed to be no help either for he simply stared at Wooyoung for a moment. Then he took a deep breath and reached for Wooyoung's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.

"He's probably just going for a walk to clear his head." Hongjoong said, glancing around the opening as if hoping for something to appear. "You heard Seonghwa; he probably just had a nightmare on something and walked to clear his head." At that, I finally knew who they were talking about. I slid down and off the tree, yawning as I did so.

"Why are you looking for me?" I asked, scratching the back of my head and waiting for someone to answer. They all turned to me, eyes widening and then suddenly a warm body was on me, hugging me close. 

"You fucking dick! I thought something had happened to you!" Wooyoung shouted and something in my chest warmed at the way Wooyoung spoke; it was like I had become something important to him just like his friends around him which was the best feeling in the world considering he had hated me in the beginning. I blinked down at his lavender hair for a second before wounding my arms around his waist and tugging him closer, hearing him sigh in content. 

"Why were you up in the tree?" Yunho asked, taking a step forward as Wooyoung hastily disentangled himself from me, cheeks a light pink as though he was embarrassed. Yunho and the others were staring at me in curiosity whilst Seonghwa was scowling. 

"I don't know why you care so much about him." Seonghwa muttered to himself, turning away. "You all seem to forget that we're here on this mission because of him. We may potentially die because of him." Seonghwa spat and walked away. I felt my shoulders bunch up as the others turned to Seonghwa with surprise lacing their features, shock hidden in their eyes. Hongjoong looked furious, turning to Seonghwa, about to open his mouth to retort when I spoke. 

"I was in the tree because of a dream." I said and then winced at the way it sounded. Yeosang turned towards me, tilting his head. 

"You have a nightmare?" He inquired, looking interested.

"No." I shook my head. "It was a really good dream." I said, seeing Seonghwa glance back at me, frown set on his face as he studied me. He looked thoroughly confused as he eyed me up and down, trying to find out if I had been lying with my earlier statement. 

"But, you were being sick." Seonghwa pointed out and Hongjoong turned to gape at me.

"You were sick? And you're only thinking to tell us _now?_ " He demanded, looking between Seonghwa and I, expecting an answer and I shrugged. 

"I'm always sick when I have dreams, that's why I was sleeping in the tree. I always go to a high place because it's like if I'm in the air it protects me from dream whereas if I was grounded on the floor." I explained, seeing Jongho frown to himself. 

"Why does that actually sound reasonable to me?" Jongho questioned and Yunho nodded, Wooyoung coming closer and wrapping his arms around my waist, snuggling closer. I glanced down at him in surprise and as soon as I got over it, I slid my arm over his shoulder, tugging him closer. Wooyoung was nice: an anchor I never knew I needed. 

"Because Sannie makes sense." Wooyoung suddenly said, all eyes turned towards him and he smacked a hand around his mouth like he hadn't meant the statement to come out and for it to stick solely in his head and his head only. I blinked down at him before hesitantly smoothening his hair away from his eyes.

"Thank you, Woo, I'm glad you think so." I murmured, watching him glance up in shock and then I smiled softly down at him; he seemed to blanch, before burying his head in my chest. 

"Oh my god, San has a fucking dimple!" Yunho shrieked, jumping forward and grabbing my face in his hands, squeezing my cheeks gently and leaning my head, from left to right in different directions, ignoring my muffled protests at being practically manhandled. Wooyoung pulled backwards and stared at me in thought. 

"Smile again." He ordered. I glanced down at him, eyes softening and then I smiled gently, Wooyoung's cheeks heating up. His mouth formed into an 'o' shape as if he had just had the greatest discovery of the year and still couldn't believe that it had happened. "Oh my, it seems as though he does." Wooyoung breathed and Yeosang giggled off to the left, smiling smugly at Wooyoung. 

"San, you made Wooyoung short circuit. He gay panicked; I thought I'd never see the day." Yeosang grinned and Wooyoung sent him a small glare and I automatically ran my fingers through the lavender hair on the nape of his neck, seeing his shudder. 

"Uh, sorry." I whispered and someone snickered. 

"Whipped!" Mingi cried and I glared at him, seeing Mingi cower back and Wooyoung go red in the face. 

"Oh shush, Mingi, you're just the bloody same!" Wooyoung snapped and Mingi blushed too, sticking his tongue out at the younger, who simply ignored him and turned back to look at me. "Don't worry, Sannie, I like it." He said and I froze at his bluntness and confidence before melting and smiling at him, watching him do the same thing I had done previously. 

"I'll be sure to do it more." I winked and Wooyoung went red and practically propelled himself out of my arms and onto Yeosang, ignoring everyone else's snickers and laughter at his expense. 

~/~/~ 

An hour later, we set off North, heading towards the Northern Sea. It was a shame really that we didn't have a son of Poseidon on the trip as I guaranteed that he would've been able to point and lead us in the right direction. The only clue we got of which way to go was North and even then half the group didn't know which way was North. 

"This way!" Hongjoong crooned, leading us into the deeper part of the forest, lifting a giant leaf over our heads and let it go, the leaf smacking Mingi on the head. He gasped. 

"Hyung!" Mingi whined, stomping lightly and Hongjoong just looked at him innocently before setting off and ignoring Mingi's attempts at threatening him even though Hongjoong was probably better than everyone in the group at standing his ground. Yeosang had told me that Hongjoong had been at Camp Half-Blood for years, Hongjoong literally lived in Athenas' cabin and never went home. Yeosang said that he had always found it odd that Hongjoong didn't have a hint of guilt or remorse from not going to visit nor see how his family was doing. 

"Stop being a big baby." Yunho whispered and then he was gently grabbing Mingi's hand and leading him through the trees, holding up the huge leaves and not letting it go until Mingi was in front of him. Mingi smiled back at him and I could tell that they were utterly in love with each other and I wasn't sure for how long, but it was obvious in the way they looked at each other.

"Thank you for always taking care of me." Mingi muttered softly and Yunho blushed, staring down at their intertwined hands. 

"It's what best friends do for each other." Yunho said and Mingi's smile dampened, however Yunho didn't seem to notice and gripped his hand tighter, leading him past Hongjoong and Jongho. 

"And best friends just hold hands whilst looking like they're on cloud nine?" Wooyoung muttered next to me and I glanced at him, chuckling at the sight of Mingi and Yunho smiling together, happy with their fingers intertwined, completely oblivious to each others strong harboured feelings toward one another. 

"I think it's nice. The love they hold for each other ... I've never had that ever." I said, seeing Wooyoung narrow his eyes at me. 

"You say that as though you think no one will love you." Wooyoung pointed out and I noticed the others eyes turn towards us, blinking at me in shock. 

"That's because that's exactly what I think." 


End file.
